
;,,--. £ 



THE HISTORY 



OF THE 



WHITE MOUNTAINS, 



FROM THE 



FIRST SETTLEMENT 



OF 



UPPEK COOS AND PEQTJAE1ET. 



By Lucy, Wife of Ethan Allen Crawford, Esq: 

First Published in 1845. 

WITH PREFACE BY HENRY WHEELOCK RIPLEY. 



6*188 

■ 



PORTLAND, MAINE: 
HOYT, FOGG & DONHAM, 

1883. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1845, 

BY LUCY CRAWFORD, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of New Hampshire. 

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, 

BY HOYT, FOGO & DONHAM, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 






Printed and Stereotyped by B. THURSTON' & CO., 
97 i Exchange St., Portland, Me. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Introduction to Edition of 1883, 5 

" " " " 1845, 1 

CHAPTER I. 
The Rosebrooks, 9 

CHAPTER II. 
The Crawfords, 25 

CHAPTER III. 
Reminiscences, . . . 34 

CHAPTER IV. 
Reminiscences, 39 

CHAPTER V. 
Reminiscences, 53 

CHAPTER VI. 
Reminiscences, 60 

CHAPTER VII. 
Reminiscences, 71 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Reminiscences, .85 

CHAPTER IX. 
Reminiscences, 102 

CHAPTER X. 

Reminiscences, Improvements and Weather, . . 107 

3 



PREFACE. 



In reproducing the early History of the White Mountains, 
their discovery and settlement, written by Mrs. Ethan Allen 
Crawford, we are delightfully carried back to the days of our 
boyhood, when we first visited those grand old Cathedrals and 
Temples of Nature, — to the days of that freedom of thought 
and -life so full of sunshine and hope, which followed our 
young footsteps among the many changing scenes of grandeur 
then undiscovered among those "Everlasting Hills," — days, in 
truth, full of " romance and reality," when the world seemed 
but the great ideal and central unfolding in one mighty volume, 
the wonderful gifts and glories of the great Creator's hands. 
The History of the White Mountains at this period forms one 
of the most interesting subjects of modern times, and thou- 
sands have read, who have never visited them, that most charm- 
ingly descriptive and interesting volume, written and pub- 
lished in 1859, by that patriot Christian scholar and states- 
man, the Rev. Thomas Starr King. It was the writer's highest 
privilege to be a companion of Mr. King for several seasons 
among the mountains, and whether exploring among cliffs and 
crags, or midst the wildwood passes, or following stream by 
stream with rod and line, 'twas all the same, his great heart 
and soul was the embodiment of nature; living he breathed it, 
and dying has left its fragrance on the desert air. We can but 
hope that this best of all White Mountain histories may ere 
long be republished, to more extensively perpetuate his mem- 
ory among the scenes he loved so dearly. 

The present volume, which we present to the public, was 
written in the old stage days of John Smith, the Knight of the 
Whip, who for nearly forty years drove his elegant Concord 
coach from Conway to Portland, and who is now living, a hale 
and hearty bachelor, nearly eighty-five years old, at his adopt- 
ed, home, Fryeburg, — in the days of Abbott, Thorn & Co.'s line 
of stages from Center Harbor to Conway, and through the 
White Mountains, — in the days, in short, when occurred those 
events of history, that, like the "Crawford," the "Rose- 
brooks," the '• Willey " families, belong alone to the past. We 
shall endeavor, in our next edition, to give a general history 
of the early settlements of the towns comprising the Up- 
per Coos, Gorham, Lancaster, Littleton, Colebrook, Whitefield, 
Bethlehem, Conway, Bartlett and Jackson in New Hampshire ; 
also of the early settlement of the towns comprising the Pe- 
quaket country, and the writer's native town of Fryeburg, 

5 



G PREFACE. 

Maine. We shall also give the history of the building of the 
Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad into the mountains, 
the Portland and Ogdensburg through the Crawford Notch, 
the Mount Washington Turnpike from the Glen House on the 
east side, to the summit, and the Mount Washington railroad 
from Marshfield on the west side to the summit, together with 
whatever events have occurred which will interest the tourist 
to the White Mountains since the edition was published in 1846. 
In this edition we give a very perfect likeness of Abel Craw- 
ford, " the Patriarch of the Hills," copied by Conant of this 
city, from the original portrait by Chester Harding in 1846, and 
now in the possession of Mrs. Abby Davis Bemis, his grand- 
daughter, of Melrose Highlands, to whom the writer is greatly 
indebted for the loan of it for present use. The likeness is 
strikingly correct, and will be recognized by many who nearly 
one-half century ago saw the original work in the parlor of 
the old Crawford House. r "Old Crawford" was the first 
man who ever rode a horse up Mount Washington in 1840, then 
seventy-five years of age. He died in 1852, aged eighty-five 
years, and the little mound just this side of Bemis' station 
marks his last resting-place, while grand old Mount Craw- 
ford is his fitting monument. 

I feel sure that the pleasure-seeking and beauty-loving 
travelers of this generation, as cosily seated in one of the tri- 
umphs of modem civilization, an observation car, they glide 
comfortably over steel rails far up the sides of the mighty mount- 
ains, will be glad to hearken to the echo of a voice from the 
misty past, a voice telling the story of these grand and magnifi- 
cent scenes, telling it not in fine, modern phrase, but in olden, 
homely, quaint speech, yet full of rugged strength and earnest 
meaning, like the character of the pioneers of the mountains, 
like the mountains themselves. 

It was my original intention to have added to Mrs. Craw- 
ford's history a modern history of the White Mountains, but 
owing to the failure on the part of various representatives of 
vicinities to supply me with the necessary data, I am unable to 
do so in this edition. 

A knowledge gained by a close acquaintance of forty-five 
years with the mountains and their visitors, of the lively inter- 
est and enthusiasm felt for everything relating to the White 
Mountain region, leads me to confidently expect the necessity 
of the next edition shortly, in which the modern history will 
be supplied. 

"If thou art worn and hard beset 
With sorrows that thou wouldst forget, 
If thou wouldst read a lesson that will keep 
Thy heart from fainting and thy soul from sleep, 
Go to the woods and hills ; no tears 
Dim the sweet look that nature wears." 

H. W. Ripley. 



INTRODUCTION. 

EDITION OF 1845. 

It may be inquired by some persons, what has become 
of Crawford, the mountaineer, or Ethan of the hills. It 
will be the endeavor of the authoress of this tale to relate 
some of his misfortunes and adventures, briefly as possible, 
it being always a rule with him to make short stories and 
not go a great way round to effect a small thing. 

This she has done, in his own language, as nearly as 
she could, for the information of others and the benefit 
of all of her own family whom she is desirous of bringing 
up and making useful members of society. These are 
all true statements of things which have taken place 
within her own knowledge, since she has been living with 
him. These facts he was unwilling at first to have pub- 
lished, as he did not wish to expose those who seemed to 
be against him. They have been stated in as moderate 
terms as possible, as we do not wish to injure the feelings 
even of enemies if we have any such. It will readily be 
seen why he was always involved in debt, if this history 
is read with candor and viewed in a right manner, as it 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

will show his misfortunes to have originated, first, in the 
fire, which left him a large sum in debt ; next, in being 
obliged to build almost every year, so far from common 
privileges ; and then, in the two freshets, which caused 
him a heavy loss of property. Taking all these things 
into consideration, it may be wondered how he succeeded 
in getting along as well as he did, under so many losses 
and disappointments. But, saith the poet : — 

"Pigmies placed on alps, are pigmies still; 
And pyramids are pyramids in vales." 

And, as the scriptures saith of men of ancient times : — 
"There were giants in those days." 



pjioipf of the White iv[oui\itaiw0. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE R0SEBR00KS. 

Hannah Hanes was born in Brimfield, Mass., August 
3, 1744, and at an early age she experienced religion, at 
the age of seventeen, I think she told me; and this 
religion supported her through many trying scenes of 
life; neither did it forsake her in the time of death. 

Eleazer Rosebrook was born in Grafton, Mass., 1747 ; 
was married to Hannah Hanes, in March, 1772, and there 
they lived until after the birth of their first child, a 
daughter ; and when this child was one year and a half 
old, he, like many other enterprising men, took his wife 
and child and came into what was then called Upper 
Coos (pronounced Quos), as far as Lancaster. Here 
they made a temporary stay, while he could look about 
and find a place to settle, until after the birth of their 
second child, a daughter. They then moved into the 
woods, up the Connecticut river, as far as Monadnuc or 
Monadnock, now incorporated as Colebrook, nearly thirty 
miles from any inhabitant, and without a road. They 
took the river, in some places, for a guide ; and in other 
places, they followed by marks of spotted trees, which 
were spotted for the purpose of shortening the distance, 
1* 8 



10 HISTOKY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

and then went into a little log cabin which had been 
previously prepared by Mr. Rosebrook, my grandfather. 

Now, in the woods, making a beginning, setting an 
example for others to follow, suffering many hardships, 
and enduring many privations common to beginners in a 
new country, they did the best they could and tried to 
be content with their situation. They had provided 
themselves with a cow, the only favored domestic animal 
they possessed, and, having no pasture, or fence, she 
was at liberty to range about and go wherever she pleased. 
Many times did Mrs. Rosebrook, my grandmother, in 
the absence of her husband, shut her dear child up in her 
cabin and taking her infant in her arms, proceed into the 
woods in search of her cow, which she would be directed 
to find by the sound of her bell. Sometimes she was 
under the necessity of wading the river to get where the 
animal was, and then she would return home and find the 
deserted child safe, and, with the infant still in her arms, 
and followed by the other child, did she milk her cow. 
What courage must this woman have possessed, after be- 
ing for many years among near relatives, such as parents, 
brothers, sisters and a numerous circle of friends and 
neighbors, who were near and dear to her, and changing 
them for the woods ! What a contrast between having 
a large society and now being confined entirely to these 
her lisping children ! What woman in these days could 
do this and not complain of its being hard or severe ? 
But she had made up her mind to be content and indus- 
trious in whatsoever situation she should be placed, and 
having a monitor within, which would say to her that al- 
though separated from earthly friends, yet she had one 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 11 

that would " stick closer than a brother," and while filled 
with these thoughts, her fears of wild beasts, and many 
other things, would flee from her. 

Their living was principally upon animal food ; as God 
always provides suitably for every one who depends up- 
on him and will apply himself industriously to obtain. 

The woods were beautiful, and well stored with game, 
such as moose, deer, bears, etc., and hunters might, in a 
short time, kill and procure a sufficient quantity of this 
kind of food to supply their families a long time. Some 
of the flesh they would dry, and some they would smoke ; 
and, in various ways, did they preserve it and make good 
wholesome food of it. 

One grand article wanted now was salt, which was 
scarce and hard to be got, and they could not well live 
without it, in this fresh and mountainous country. Some 
families suffered considerably, by their children having 
their necks swollen ; the disorder was attributed to the 
want of salt, which was afterward remedied, in a meas- 
ure, by carrying them to the salt water, and giving 
them a plenty of salt fish to eat, and applying the skin of 
the salt fish to their necks ; but they never wholly out- 
grew this trouble. I have heard my grandfather say, 
that while living in Monadnock, at one time he went on 
foot to Haverhill, and bought one bushel of salt, and car- 
ried it home, through the woods, on his back, a distance, 
at that time, as they followed the river the most of the 
way, of not less than eighty miles. Can this same country 
produce a man now, with such wonderful power of 
muscle and strength of mind, to endure this and not com- 
plain of its being hard? But such was the courage of 



12 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

these hardy new beginners that they did not mind trifles. 
One circumstance I think worth recording. 

One Major Whitcomb, who lived in this country, went 
on foot to what was then called Lower Coos, a distance 
of fifty miles from where he lived, and it was late in the 
spring ; as the people had planted, in that place, he had 
great difficulty in finding potatoes, which it was his 
whole business to obtain ; but he at length succeeded in 
getting one bushel of small ones, and these he carefully 
carried home, on his back. Those which would answer 
to cut, he cut in pieces, and then planted them. After- 
ward he counted the hills, and there were four hundred 
hills of these planted potatoes ; and, in the fall, he 
harvested them, and had one hundred bushels of good 
potatoes. Such was the plentiful increase of almost 
everything put into the ground. So much so, that this 
country was considered by people, two or three hundred 
miles distant, to be equal to the western country now ; 
and those who left their friends to come to this Upper 
Coos, (as they then termed it), were generally a robust 
and self-denying people ; and the friends whom they left 
behind thought much more of the distance, than we do 
now of going two or three thousand miles; and their 
expectations of seeing them again were much less than 
now ; which may well be imagined, when we reflect that 
it is more practicable to travel ten miles now, than it was 
to travel one then. 

About this time was the revolutionary war between 
the United States and Great Britain. Grandfather vol- 
unteered his services, as he possessed the same inde- 
pendent spirit as our forefathers, and was determined 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 13 

as they were, to free our country or shed his own blood 
in its defence. Before lie started, fearing for the safety 
of his family should he leave them alone, lest they might' 
be destroyed by the enemy, he removed them down to 
Northumberland, and placed them in a sort of fort, 
which was then erected and guarded by the husbandmen ; 
they then embraced each other, and he took his leave of 
his family, having a firm belief that if he had entered 
rightly into a good cause, he should be prospered, and 
impressed with these feelings they separated, while his 
wife's prayers were constantly for him and the general 
good of the country. But here, in this situation, she did 
not remain long, having then the addition of another 
child, a son. A gentleman by the name of White, - kindly 
gave her an asylum in his house. As his wife was sickly, 
and not able to work, he gave her and her three children 
their board for what they could do ; which she considered 
a great kindness, as it gave her the privilege of supporting 
herself and family without being chargeable to her 
husband. 

Mrs. Rosebrook remained where she was, on permission, 
until her husband came home. He then moved his 
family to Guildhall, Vermont, and having settled them 
there, returned to his duty for a number of months, dis- 
charging it with bravery, and encountering his foes, 
whenever he was called upon, like a brave soldier. 

He and an officer were once sent to Canada as spies. 
They were suspected, and finding it out, they made good 
their retreat ; they were closely pursued by the enemy. 
Grandfather was aware of it, and they traveled night as 
well as day, until they came to a considerable stream of 



14 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

water ; here they built a fire, and then put it out, to make 
it appear as though they had been gone for some time ; 
they then waded the stream, and, w^en at a proper dis- 
tance, struck up another fire and dried and rested 
themselves. The enemy came soon after, and found 
where they had made the fire, which they had extin- 
guished, and, supposing they were out of their reach, 
returned ; as one of the pursuing party told him after- 
ward ; and he likewise said, that he told them it was 
useless to follow further, as Mr. Rosebrook was a hunter 
and a woodsman, and knew better than to suffer himself 
to be overtaken. 

Grandmother, while living in Guildhall, in the absence 
of her husband, was frequently visited by the Indians. 
As she was a woman, and alone, they seemed to make 
her habitation their place of resort, there being no man 
to resist them. By disposing of their furs, they would 
provide themselves with a plenty of what they called 
uncupy, or spirit, which they carried in bladders, taken 
from moose, and, at times, they would have a great 
drunk. This troubled her much, knowing their savage 
dispositions ; she, fearing she would offend them and in- 
cur their displeasure, bore with them ; at one time, how- 
ever, she became decided and cleared her house of them, 
all but one, and she was so far gone under the influence 
of the spirit, or liquor, that she lay motionless upon the 
floor ; grandmother took her by the hair of her head, and 
with the strength of her feelings, dragged her out of 
doors ; and the squaw by being put in motion, came to 
herself so much that she had the use of her limbs ; she 
drew her tomahawk and aimed it at grandmother, who 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 15 

had just closed the door after her, when this tomahawk 
came so near as to take off the wooden thumb-piece from 
the door handle ; thus she providentially made her es- 
cape. Some time in the night, the squaw so far recover- 
ed as to move herself out of sight of the house ; and the 
next day, after getting sober and recollecting how 
ridicuously she had appeared, and what trouble she had 
caused the good woman the evening before, came back 
and freely asked her forgiveness, and likewise said she 
would not do the like again ; and she strictly kept her 
word. 

Grandfather came home again, on permission, and as 
his wife had so much trouble with the natives, and her 
family being again increased, she did not well know how 
to have him return ; and as he had enlisted during the 
war, he hired a man to take his place, and remained at 
home to assist his helpmate in bringing up her young 
family. As they had begun to fulfil the commandment 
which was given to Adam, at the beginning, it became 
necessary she should have help ; and as a reward for his 
toils and hardships during his services, he was paid off in 
old Continental money, which proved a nuisance to him. 
I have now some of it still in my possession, which I 
keep in remembrance of his courage and valor. 

Peace was proclaimed, and they remained in Guildhall, 
and the people were, for a number of miles, seemingly 
all of one family, sharing in each other's bounties and en- 
joying one another's company, like so many brothers, and 
if one happened to get a dainty, or a rare nice thing, an 
invitation would immediately be given to the neighbors, 
who would assemble, and they all would have a social 



16 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

time of it. There was no distinction in those days in 
point of dress or grandeur, but all wore their own manu- 
facture. I have heard my grandmother say that when she 
was dressed in her striped, short, loose gown, and her 
clean starched and well ironed blue and white checkered 
linen apron, she felt much better then to appear in a 
meeting, among christians, than she has since, when 
dressed in silks. They then, had no ruffles, no ribbons, 
or anything that appeared like ostentation, but all was 
neat and tidy ; as this was the uniform manner of dress 
in those days, they all enjoyed it without a murmur and 
felt happy. The men wore garments made of the skins of 
moose, which they had learned to dress of the Indians ; 
they were, as they said, cold things to put on in the 
morning, but when once warmed, the cold weather could 
not penetrate through, and they would last a long time. 
For shoes, they made of this same kind of skin, a substi- 
tute called moccasins, until the country began to be 
opened a little, and then they got sheep ; the wool, the 
women would card and spin; and such were their 
habits of industry, as this was a slow way to get their 
wool worked up, I have heard grandmother say that she 
used frequently to work a whole week, both night and 
day, without undressing herself. She would only lie 
down for a short time with her clothes on, while carding 
and spinning ; when this was done she would weave it, 
and then with the bark of some forest tree they would 
give it a color ; without the process of a clothier, or the 
workmanship of a tailor, they would cut their own gar- 
ments and make them ; and in this cheap, humble, but 
happy way, these people lived for many years, until the 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 17 

enemy of contentment began to introduce articles of mer- 
chandise, which soon created pride, and a sort of rival- 
ship commenced, and as soon as one came in possession 
of a newly imported dress, it stimulated others to follow 
the fashion, and one extreme generally follows another. 
In this way has our country since been infested with this 
foolish pride of dress, making gay the outside; while 
some, it is feared, have neglected the most important 
part, the soul ; but another era, it is hoped, will take 
place, which will yet cause all who watch for it, to be 
more and more happy. 

Now, while living at that time in this country, the 
greatest disadvantage, which they felt most seriously, was 
the want of good schools for their children. As they 
seldom had any schools so near as to have the privilege 
of sending them at all, their eldest went but one day 
their second, one week, which completed their school edu- 
cation. But, as their mother had in early life acquired a 
knowledge of letters, and the proper use of them, she 
instructed them so well that they could read and spell 
with considerable accuracy. This they found to be useful 
in after years, as they could read for themselves . and 
sometimes for others. For instance ; the husband of the 
eldest became afflicted with weakness of his eyes, so that 
he could not himself see to read, and being drawn up 
with the rheumatism so much that he could not walk, it 
has been a matter of great consolation to him in his dull 
hours, to sit still and hear her read ; and thus time passed 
more swiftly away than it would have done otherwise. 

I have often heard my grandmother tell with great in- 
terest the proceedings of former years. One instance, I 



18 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

recollect, was this : that at one time when the state leg- 
islature met, a man of rather ordinary appearance 
presented himself. The members viewed him and then 
asked him if he was the choice of the people ? His an- 
swer was this : Sirs, I am the only man in my town ; of 
course there was no one to set up against me ; therefore 
I considered it my privilege to come here, and I have 
made my appearance. This caused some glee, but the 
honest man was not refused a seat. At another time, as 
the military laws were in those days similar to ours, a 
neighboring town legally warned a meeting for the pur- 
pose of choosing military officers and to have a training: 
After the officers were chosen there was but one remain- 
ing soldier ; and he, looking wishfully upon his superiors, 
said : Gentlemen, I have one request to make, that is, as 
I am the only soldier, I hope your honors will not be too 
severe in drilling me, but will spare me a little as I may 
be needed another time. He could form a solid column, 
he said, but it racked him shockingly to display. At an- 
other time, when they were to have a training, an officer 
went fifty miles to Lower Coos, as it was then called, or 
Haverhill now, for two quarts of spirit, to treat his com- 
pany with. As they had no carriages in those days, 
neither had they a road suitable for one, he took his 
horse, put on the saddle and then a pair of large saddle- 
bags, filled with provisions for the journey, and a jug for 
the spirit, and provender for his horse; and as they 
traveled at that time, it took him three or four days to 
perform this journey. When on his way home, by some 
unknown accident, the cork got loose and the bottle was 
emptied of its contents into the saddle bags. The liquor 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 19 

would have been saved had not the oats soaked up a part 
of it ; he, however, saved enough to treat his company 
with. They did not require so much then as too many 
have required since that time. 

It had been a matter of considerable inquiry, how they 
should get a passage through the White Mountains. 
Two men who went in search, by name Timothy Nash 
and Benjamin Sawyer, discovered an opening through 
the Notch. One of them climbed a tree to be sure of the 
fact. Here one of them lost a mitten, it being on a high 
hill, and from that circumstance they gave it the name of 
the Mitten Mountain. When satisfied there might be a 
way found here to get to the fertile country on the Con- 
necticut river, without going so far round, they gave the 
information, and were rewarded by having the whole tract 
of level land given them above the Notch, and it was 
granted to them by Governor Wentworth in 1773, as 
Nash and Sawyer's Location, upon condition that they 
should cut and make a good road through this tract of 
land, and cause five families to settle on it in five years. 
This land was surveyed by General Buckman, a deputy 
surveyor of public lands, then belonging to the Province, 
now State of New Hanrpshire ; and they had got some 
families settled here, and the people had begun to settle 
in Conway and Bartlett, and likewise in Jefferson, all of 
whom had an example set them by Colonel Whipple, 
from Portsmouth, who, for years was a real father to 
them. lie .placed them on his land, and all they could 
raise, more than they needed for their families, he bought ; 
and paid them honestly to even half a cent. He used to 
bring from Portsmouth a bag of half cents to make 



20 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

change, for the purpose of being honest himself and try- 
ing to make his tenants honest. This little surplus of 
grain was carefully laid up for the inhabitants in case of 
their own need, or that of other persons who should move 
in. 

At one time, provisions in Bartlett were scarce, and 
some of the people took their sacks and money in their 
hands and came through the woods, a distance of not 
less than thirty miles, to buy bread. This was refused 
by the Colonel, saying his own inhabitants wanted all he 
had ; and they were obliged to return empty. They, 
however, had the precaution to examine and find where 
the grain was, and shortly afterward returned, and with 
an auger, bored a hole up through the floor under where 
the grain was, secured by a lock, held their sacks under, 
and filled them. When satisfied they stopj:>ed the hole 
with a plug, and then carried the filled sacks on their 
backs to the woods, where they had handsleighs prepar- 
ed to draw the grain, and thus returned in safety. The 
Colonel finding it out, and being sensible of his error, 
made but little fuss about it, yet took care how he dealt 
with them afterward. 

The inhabitants now while clearing the timber off their 
lands, made ashes, which was boiled into salts, and ex- 
changed for goods. Everything was very dear. As the 
distance was so great to go round to get to the sea- 
board, they began to contrive means to go to Portland, 
or, perhaps, Portsmouth was the first place where they 
went to market. With one horse fixed to a car, they first 
went through the woods. The form of the car was sim- 
ply this : two poles cut ten or fifteen feet in length, the 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 21 

smaller ends serving as thills for the horse to draw by 
and the larger ends dragging on the ground, and fastened 
nearly in the middle with some short poles, on which 
they would place a bag, or other articles of loading. In 
this way they got along quite well until they came to the 
Notch. This was a trying place to get through. To go 
where they now do, was then utterly impossible. They 
then turned out at the top of the Notch and went over 
the edge and so managed to get to the top, and by taking 
a zigzag course, as much as possible, got down ; but in do- 
ing this there was danger of the horse tipping over, the 
hill was so steep. And when they returned, they would 
tie a rope around the horse's neck, to keep him from fall- 
ing backwards. At one time, however, one horse did so 
fall ; but he was helped up without receiving much injury. 
At length a committee was chosen to search and look 
out the best road. They agreed in all places until they 
came to the Notch. There they held a council. One- 
half was for making the road on one side of the stream, 
and the other half, on the other side ; but after consider- 
able consultation on the subject, one of them turned and 
voted to make the road on the side of the Saco, where it 
is now. Reader, when you pass this place, now spoken 
of, please to look and judge for yourself, if you would 
devise a way to make a road on the other side of the 
stream, and then imagine what courage and perseverance 
our forefathers possessed. They never seemed to take 
hold of the plow and look back, but drove on. 

At this time, grandfather remained at Guildhall. He 
had settled on a beautiful piece of land, easy to cultivate, 
on the Connecticut river, and things began to look 



22 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

flourishing. He seemed to be in a way to live without 
much hard labor himself, as his two eldest daughters 
were married, and his four sons growing up to help him. 
But in this easy situation he could not long remain. 
Having an ambitious, enterprising, public spirited dispo- 
sition, and after going to market in the manner spoken 
of, and knowing there must be more help and persever- 
ance to make this way practicable, he left his situation 
and volunteered once more to serve the public. In Jan- 
uary, 1792, he took his family and moved to Nash and 
Sawyer's Location, bought out my father, who had some 
time before bought out three or four settlers who had 
declined to remain, and had been living there alone, 
keeping bachelor's hall in one of the small huts they had 
built. 

Soon after this, my father rather than to be crowded 
by neighbors, moved twelve miles down the Saco river, 
where he would have elbow room enough ; and then he 
began in the woods, in what is called Hart's Location, 
and remains there until this day, making as much im- 
provement as possible, and laboring for the public good ; 
while grandfather was beginning again in the woods, yea, 
more than the woods, in the valley of the Amanoosuc, 
surrounded by mountains on all sides. He afterward 
sold his farm at Guildhall, and the effects or proceeds he 
laid out in this lonesome spot, far from any neighbors, 
twelve miles either way. In a little log cabin they lived 
many years, suffering all the hardships which might well 
be expected or borne in this lonely, uncultivated place ; 
and as they were dependent on their neighbors for food, 
they were obliged to go, or send their children that clis- 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 23 

tance to obtain it, always feeling anxious for their safety 
when they were gone, fearing some accident might befall 
them. The way was so rough they were fearful the 
horse would break his leg and injure the child. Many 
an hour, I have heard my grandmother say, she has spent 
in meditation of her absent children ; and many times, at 
a late hour in the night, before they would return ; and 
then she would pour out her love in prayer and thankful- 
ness to her heavenly Father for preserving them, and 
that she was permitted to receive them again to her 
humble mansion. 

Thus they lived several years, working on their farms 
and making roads ; sometimes for pay and sometimes 
without pay, just as it happened, until the Legislature 
saw fit to grant "them a turnpike in 1803. This was 
divided into shares to the number of five hundred, and 
let out to different men to make. After a while, as 
traveling and business increased, he built a large and 
convenient two-story dwelling, on an elevated spot, on 
the west end of what has since been called Giant's Grave, 
with two rooms under ground. From the chamber in 
the second story, was an outside door, which opened so 
that one could walk out on the hill, which was beautiful, 
and gave a view of all the flat country around it. He 
built a large barn, stable, sheds and other out buildings, a 
saw mill and grist mill, etc. ; the latter was of but little 
use, being one and a half miles from where he lived. 
The mice injured the bolt so much it was difficult to keep 
it in repair ; but the saw mill was of great service, both 
to him and to my father, when building. Thus he 
prospered and lived well ; but his children were not sat- 



24 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



isfied with their situation; married, and left him, one 
after another. Their leaving him and setting them off, 
put him in rather low circumstances in his advanced age ; 
still, he had sufficient, but was in want of some one to 
help him, as will be shown in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE C R A WFORD S. 

Ethan Allen Crawford was born in Guildhall, 
Vermont, in 1792, and when quite young, his parents 
moved to Hart's Location, in New Hampshire, twelve 
miles from neighbors, one way, and six the other; in a 
log house, in a small opening among the trees. 

Here our family lived alone, with the excej)tion of a 
hired man., One Saturday, my parents went to spend 
the sabbath in Bartlett, among the christians ; and they 
left me and a brother older than I was with this hired 
man, to take care of us, and with a plenty of provisions 
to last until their return. Soon after they were gone, 
this man picked up such things as he thought valuable, 
and what victuals were cooked for us during their 
absence, started for the woods, and left us, two little 
boys (to use the words of Ethan), with none to keep us 
company all night, and without food. We had a cow, 
but neither of us was large enough to milk her. We, 
however, got some potatoes, roasted them in the ashes, 
and ate them ; then, being tired and lonesome, we hugged 
ourselves up together and went to sleep. On Monday, 
when they came and found us, and things as they were, 
my father was so incensed with the man for his ill treat- 
ment to his little helpless children, that he followed him 
to Franconia, where he came out of the woods. We re- 
2 25 



26 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

covered some of the stolen articles, and had the man 
punished for his perfidy. 

While my father was clearing up his land, I and my 
brother helped him all we could. Many times I have 
chopped, and my hands would swell and pain me in the 
night so much, that my mother would get up and poul- 
tice them, to give me ease. I never had a hat, a mitten, 
or a pair of shoes, of my own, that were made for me, 
until I was nearly thirteen years old. I could harness 
and unharness horses in the cold winter weather, with 
my head, hands and feet nearly bare, and not mind or 
complain of the cold, as I was used to it ; it made me 
tough and healthy. 

After this I was sent to school in the winter, to some 
one of the neighboring towns, wherever I could work 
night and morning, and help pay my board, until I could 
read, write and cipher. 

In 1811, I enlisted as a soldier, under the command of 
Capt. Stark, for eighteen months ; with a promise, from 
another officer, that I should have a commission after we 
should get to Plattsburgh. Here I staid through the 
summer ; and late in the fall the spotted fever raged in 
the company, and I was one of the subjects of this con- 
tagious disease. I was sick, and did not know but that 
it was even unto death, as numbers were dying daily 
around me. I was carried to the hospital ; but as it was 
so filled with the sick, I thought I would fare better hi 
my own bunk, and got back there some how or other. 
Here I made the best I could of it, and having a strong 
constitution, as soon as my fever turned, I crawled out 
and bought me a turkey and had a part of it made into 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 27 

broth, of which I took a little at a time until it strength- 
ened me, and I could get about. 

Thinking that if I staid there I would not live long, I 
made an application for a furlough to go home, which 
was granted me. I started, but was so weak and emaci- 
ated, I could walk but a short distance in a day, and 
when the wind blew I was obliged to stop and lay by, as 
I could not stand against it. I, however, succeeded in 
getting home to the White Hills in fourteen days, with 
the assistance of some kind friends, who would occasion- 
ally give me a ride. Once on the way I was suspected 
of having run away from the army and I was obliged to 
show my furlough. 

In the winter, after regaining my health, I returned to 
my duty. I afterward had to take the place of a Lieu- 
tenant, a Sergeant and a Corporal, and as I was called 
upon oftener than many others on duty, one day when I 
was gone they chose their officers, and I was left out. 
This dissatisfied me so much I made my complaints to 
the man that had promised to raise me above a common 
soldier. He wrote to Washington, to headquarters, and 
we soon had an answer saying I might be discharged. 
This I showed to the officer that had the authority to 
give the discharge. He was unwilling ; but after he had 
done it, he gave me a Corporal's commission, which I ac- 
cepted, and I stayed for a while. The main army moved 
off, and I was left with a company of invalids, and 
not much to do ; I thought best to go home, and so I 
went home. 

In 1814, I hired with two men who had engaged to 
take out the trees by the roots, and prepare for a road 



28 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

sixteen feet wide, leading from Russell, in the State of 
New York to St. Johns, for fifty cents a rod. We made 
a beginning soon after the frost was out of the ground ; 
took our provisions and cooking utensils with us, and 
there, in those woods, I staid seven months without 
once coming out. Three men of us, in that time, with 
one yoke of oxen, grubbed and made a road nearly eight 
miles long, and then I went home. 

In the spring of 1815, as my eldest brother was in Rus- 
sell, in the State of New York, and I having been there, 
and liking the place, I concluded to go again. I bought 
a horse, and went. The eighth and ninth of June, the 
ground froze and the snow fell a foot deep or more, and 
lasted for me to draw logs to a saw mill, two days, with 
four oxen. 

Here the pigeons were so numerous in some places, that 
the farmers were obliged to watch their fields to keep 
the birds from picking up the sowed grain. At one time 
I went with three other men into the woods, on to a 
swell or small ridge of land, where the pigeons had made 
their nests and hatched their young ones, and on half 
an acre of land, in some beech trees, we found them in 
great abundance. "We would chop one tree and fall it 
against another and that would cause the young ones to 
drop from both trees. Some trees had forty nests in 
each pi them, with two young ones in each nest. These 
were a clear squad of fat, and as they could only hop 
along and could not get out of our way, we picked them 
up and pulled off their heads and took out their crops to 
keep them from spoiling. There we worked until each of 
us had as many as we could carry home in a bag, on a 
horse's back j and a greater sight than that I never saw. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 29 

Amono: the numerous branches of business which the 
man I hired with had for me to do, was working on a 
river of swift water, where we boated barrels of potash 
fifteen miles down the river. These barrels weighed five 
hundred apiece. I could take one of these at a time, of 
this average weight, and put it into the boat, hoisting it 
two feet. There was but one other man in the boat that 
could lift more than one end of a barrel. My strength 
was so great, and my health so good, I did not know but 
it would last, until I began to have the rheumatism, by 
being so often and so much exposed, and in the heat of 
the day and when in a state of perspiration, obliged to 
go into the water, and remain there as we oftentimes had 
to do. 

Here I lived, and had bought me a piece of land in the 
town of Louisville, in the State of New York, and I had 
made a handsome beginning, intending to settle there, 
near this brother of mine; when, in 1816, we received a 
letter from our aged grandfather, desiring one of us to 
come and live with him. He said he would not live 
long, being troubled with a cancer on his under lip ; that 
his children were all married and settled away from him, 
such as were caj>able of taking care of the harvests ; and 
that one of us should have a deed of all his property, if 
he would come and see him, grandmother and Uncle Will- 
iam, their eldest son (who was not capable of managing 
his business through life), and pay his grandfather's honest 
debts. 

My brother, who was always' considered the wiser of 
us two, said he would not do this, and advised me not 
to ; setting forth the many difficulties that would arise 



30 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

on the part of near relatives, who, though not willing to 
go there themselves, yet might find fault with another's 
going; and the great responsibility resting upon the one 
who should undertake the care of old people. Although 
he honored and respected them, yet he felt inadequate to 
the task, and thought it devolved upon some one better 
qualified for it. This counsel I heard and concluded to 
abide by. 

Unfortunately, I got lame and could not work; I 
therefore thought I would go home and visit them and 
my parents who lived twelve miles distant from them ; 
and, in December, I started. On my arriving there, the 
old gentleman expressed marks of gratitude for my obe- 
dience to his summons but as I had made up my mind 
according to my brother's advice, I told him I had not 
come to stay, only to see him. On hearing this he put 
his hand upon my shoulder and entreated me in such a 
manner, with tears trickling down his furrowed cheeks, 
that my former resolution was shaken ; for he had ever 
been a kind grandparent to me, and how could I deny 
him my services now when he so much needed them ? 

I then concluded to go back to Louisville and sell my 
possessions there, and return to their assistance, and do 
the best I could for them. Accordingly, I went back and 
sold, and in March, 1817, returned to them again. I 
brought with me two hundred and eighty dollars which I 
had earned. This I contributed to the benefit of the 
farm. Then I gave my notes for a sum of from two to 
three thousand dollars, and took up his. Afterward he 
gave me a deed of his farm, by me giving them a mort- 
gage back, for their maintenance through life. I provided 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 31 

every means which he and his friends thought proper, to 
remove the disease, but to no purpose, it was so far ad- 
vanced it was incurable. 

* It was now necessary to have a nurse, one who would 
feel an interest in his being made comfortable, as the 
disorder so much affected grandmother she could not 
dress it, neither could she bear to stay in the room when 
it was being dressed. And they desired me to go for a 
cousin of mine, by the name of Lucy, who was a particu- 
lar favorite of theirs, and get her to come and take care 
of him. I went anct obtained her consent, with that of 
her parents, who well knew his situation, and felt anxious 
that his last days might be made as comfortable and easy 
as possible. 

The 5th of May, Lucy came home with me and took 
the whole care of grandfather ; and he was so well 
pleased with what she did for him, that he thought no 
one else could do for him as well ; and would never let 
his own children dress his lip when she was there. His 
pains, which were severe, he bore like a christian, with- 
out a murmur or a groan, when awake, and he would fre- 
quently say he had no more laid upon him than he was 
able to bear. He would converse upon death with as 
much freedom as though he was going to take a long 
journey into a far country, and never expected to return* 

He gave Lucy and myself a great many counsels, and 
expressed a desire, in the course of the summer, that as 
Lucy took such good care of him, he hoped she would 
unite with me, and continue there to stay ; and, in the 
like manner, rock the cradle for the declining years of 
grandmother, as she did for him j and likewise for Uncle 



32 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

"William, who, he said, might cause some trouble, as most 
people in his situation possess a quick disposition, and 
would sometimes be irritable. He told us not to mind 
such things but to discharge a clear conscience toward 
him, and we should have a reward for it, and if no other, 
we should have a peace of mind, which would surpass 
everything in this world. He would often say to Lucy 
when his cancer increased so much as to become an in- 
habited corruption, that he was only a glass for others to 
look into and see their own final corruption at death. 
He would never suffer any one .to sit up with him, or 
even go into his room in the night to ask if he wanted 
anything ; always seeming to be afraid we should do so 
much for him that we should get sick. In this way he 
lived from May until September upon nothing but sweet- 
ened milk and water, with sometimes a little spirit in it, 
which he said he could not well do without, as the can- 
cer in his mouth and throat was so offensive to him. 
When his flesh was all gone, and his teeth fell into his 
mouth, his spirit left his body, without a struggle or 
a groan, with his hands and eyes uplifted toward heaven ; 
he, by signs, commended Uncle William and grand- 
mother to my care. Our good neighbors, who lived at a 
distance of twelve and twenty miles, assembled and paid 
their respects to his remains, on the 27th. 

As Lucy had with so much judgment, alacrity and 
perseverance discharged her duty toward grandfather, 
and knowing no other that would fill her place, I solicit- 
ed her to engage with me in the jDerformance of the re- 
maining obligations I was then under. She accordingly 
agreed to, after I should have obtained the consent of 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 33 

her parents, and on the first of November, we were mar- 
ried. She now became a partaker of all my joys and 
sorrows. 

In the winter of 1818, being in good*health, and pos- 
sessing a goodly share of strength, I, with the help of 
Uncle William, managed to do all our own work, without 
having any other help, as we wished to economize all we 
could to meet my notes and take them up when they 
should become due. In this way our honest endeavors 
were prospered ; and I was able to make my first pay- 
ment without trouble, and after getting through with 
my spring work, in the summer I hired men and went to 
labor on the turnpike, for pay, laying up everything we 
could earn and' save from our common, necessary living, 
for that purpose, as I was determined to pay every de- 
mand as soon as it should be called for. 



CHAPTER III. 

Eauly on the morning of the 18th of July, my family 
not being well, I went to our nearest neighbors for some 
assistance. It was nearly eight o'clock when I returned 
with Mrs. Rosebrook, and not long after we had a son 
born, which weighed nearly five pounds. After doing 
what was necessary to be done at the house, at eleven 
o'clock I went to carry some dinner to our men who were 
at work on the Cherry Mountain road, one and a half miles 
from home. Grandmother desired me, on my return, to 
bring her some trout, as she said I must give them a good 
treat and do something extra for their services and my 
good fortune that morning. I accordingly, though re- 
luctantly, obeyed her commands. The trout were in as 
great haste for the hook as I was for them. I caught in 
a few minutes, a fine string of good large sized ones. I 
was gone about one hour from home, and when on my 
return, the first sight which caught my eyes as I came 
out of the woods, was flames of fire ascending the tops 
of the chimneys, ten or fifteen feet in the air! I added 
a new speed to my horse, who was then under a good 
headway, and I was soon there. Here I found Lucy and 
her infant placed on some feather beds behind an old 
blacksmith's shop, where she could not see the flames of 
fire in the open air. I passed her immediately by and 
flew to the house, and tried to save something from it, 

but all in vain, the fire was raging, and to that height I 
34 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 35 

could not save a hive of bees, which stood a few rods 
from it. These were suffered to perish. There were no 
men there excepting a Mr. Boardman, from Lancaster, 
who, with his wife, on their return home from Saco, 
called for some refreshments, and while this was prepar- 
ing, Mrs. Boardman came into the room and inquired of 
Lucy how she did, and what she should say to her mother 
who lived three miles from them, when she should get 
home. After a little conversation and receiving thanks 
from Lucy for her kindness, she took her leave and went 
out. The room where Lucy lay was about ten feet wider 
than the other part of the house, which was built with 
these two rooms under ground. And there was a large 
poplar whose boughs and leaves touched the chamber 
window where grandmother slept. While in conversa- 
tion with Mrs. Boardman Lucy saw smoke and leaves 
pass her window ; but as she was much engaged and the 
wind shifted, she forgot to mention it. The girl, going 
into one of the rooms, heard the crackling of fire over- 
head, and when she opened the chamber door, the flames 
met her. She immediately closed the door and gave in- 
formation. In a few minutes Mrs. Boardman returned 
and said, Mrs. Crawford, do not be frightened, the house 
js on fire and cannot be saved ; be quiet and keep still, 
you shall be taken care of ; remember your life is of more 
value than all the property which is to be consumed. 
These words, coming in so friendly a manner, and from 
so good a woman, calmed all her fears, and, when left 
alone, she had the presence of mind to command herself 
without trembling. She arose and dressed herself, then 
went to the desk, which stood in the room, unlocked it, 



36 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

took out all the papers and other things of consequence 
from the drawers, and put them in a pine chest, which 
stood near by, then asked Mr. Boardman to save it, which 
he did. She then went into another room and took out 
some drawers, and they were carried out and saved. 
She would have taken down the top of a brass clock, had 
it not been for Mrs. Boardman, who would, every time 
she saw her making exertions, admonish her by saying 
she was not aware of her critical situation, and as it 
hindered her by these arguments from doing much her- 
self, Lucy gave up and was placed in an arm chair, and 
carried to the place where I found her. The infant was 
the last thing taken from the burning ruins, as Mrs. Rose- 
brook had takei 1 it and laid it upon a bench in the bar- 
room, for the house was built for a tavern. Mr. B. ask- 
ed where it was? She said she knew, and ran in and 
brought it out. We had a pig shut up in a pen so near 
the building, that before he could make his escape, was 
burned. The noise of this pig attracted the attention of 
the other hogs and brought them to the place, and it was 
with difficulty that Lucy and one little brother of hers, 
four years old, who lived with us, could keep them from 
tearing everything to pieces. Beds all on fire — cheeses 
all around — hogs in the midst of them — all hurly burly ; 
while the female party had much to do to keep safe 
what they had taken from the house, and Mr. Board- 
man had his horse and chaise to look after. As there 
was but little help, there could not be much saved. The 
day was fair, and the wind strong, and it blew in differ- 
ent directions, so that the bed on which Lucy lay caught 
fire three times, which she extinguished by smothering it 
with her hands. 



HISTORY OF THE "WHITE MOUNTALNS. 37 

The fire is supposed to have communicated from a 
candle, accidentally left burning in a kitchen chair, in the 
morning, in a tightly ceiled room, by our grandmother ; 
and it was some time making its appearance, owing to 
the stillness of the air, as that was the place where 
it was discovered. Lucy having been unwell in the 
night, the old lady was called upon to come and see her, 
and after rendering her services, Lucy was better and de- 
sired her to go to bed again. This, she was at first 
unwilling to do ; but after a little persuading, she went. 
I gave her a new long candle, which she took and set in 
the chair, and then she lay down on the bed, not think- 
ing to sleep, as she said ; but she did fall asleep, and 
when she awoke, the sun shone brightly in her face, and 
thinking she had neglected Lucy, and unmindful of the 
candle, left it burning ; coming out of the room, she shut 
the door after her and came down stairs. 

Dear reader, my feelings at this time, may better be 
imagined than described ; no inhabited house within six 
miles, on one side, and twelve the other, my family in 
this destitute situation, all my carriages sharing the 
same fate with the buildings, and no means to convey 
them hence. As Mrs. Boardman was a feeble woman, 
and out of health, she could not think of giving up her 
chaise to carry away my family with ; neither was it a 
desirable carriage for them. And while we were contriv- 
ing some means to get them away, it seemed as though 
directed by the hand of Providence, a tin peddler hap- 
pened along, and after we had put what things we saved 
into an old barn which stood at such a distance from the 
other buildings that it escaped the fire, he kindly emptied 



38 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

his cart of its contents in the field, and we placed some 
feather beds in his cart and put Lucy and her brother and 
the babe in it. I then gave the before mentioned trout 
to Mr. Boardman, helped them to their carriage, and they 
went their way, and we went ours. While on the way, 
the baby was uneasy, and Mrs. Rosebrook picked rasp- 
berries and gave them to the child, and to its mother. 
Grandmother and Mrs. Rosebrook on horseback, myself 
and the peddler on foot, made up our traveling party, 
and about the setting of the sun, and over a very rough 
road, we all arrived in safety at Mrs. Rosebrook's. The 
two girls we had living with us, staid and slept in the 
barn, and likewise the men, when they returned from 
work. I had laid in a good store of provisions for my 
family's use, as we were not always sure of a crop, and 
depended on buying. We had a small store pretty well 
filled with salt and salt fish. I had bought forty dollars 
worth of wheat and forty of pork. I had made two- 
thirds of a barrel of maple sugar, and when done sugar- 
ing, had taken the large potash kettle which I had used 
and brought across the Amanoosuc river, I walking over 
on a log, the kettle on my head, Uncle William helping 
me to put the kettle on my head ; after putting it in a cart 
I brought it home. These and all other kinds of provis- 
ions were destroyed. Some new cheese, however, was 
saved ; this was in the furthermost part of the house, 
where the fire came last. All my farming tools were de- 
stroyed, excepting those that the men had working with, 
such as plows, harrows, hoes, shovels, rakes, pitchforks, 
scythes, etc. In the morning we had enough and to 
spare ; in the evening, nothing left but this new cheese, 
and the milk of the cows. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The next day was the Sabbath ; the horses were sent 
for, and the girls came down and joined us. One inci- 
dent, by the way, I would just relate. The swallows, 
after losing their nests, followed the family, and the 

barns of Mr. Rosebrook seemed to be alive with them ; 

« 

they were actually partakers of our trouble. 

Monday, my parents and Lucy's came to see what was 
to be done ; and they agreed to move a small house, 
twenty-four feet square, which belonged to me, one and 
a half miles from where ours stood before it was burned ; 
and sent an invitation to our neighbors, who immediately 
collected, with provisions for themselves and oxen, to 
draw the building. 

My loss by the fire was estimated at $3,000, and there 
was no insurance. I was young and ambitious, but this 
shock of misfortune almost overcame me ; and I was for 
some days quite indifferent which way the world went. 
I at length was constrained to arouse my feelings, and 
once more put my shoulder to the wheel. 

My house was placed upon the spot, and left, with one 
outside door, and chimney up as high as the chamber 
floor ; there were no windows and there was nothing but 
a rough, loose floor to walk upon. Yet we could not pre- 
vail upon Lucy to stay any longer than two weeks where 
she was. We therefore spread bedclothes for a carpet, 
and hung some up for a partition, to keep her from taking 

39 



40 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

cold ; and, thus situated, she was accidentally visited by 
several gentlemen and ladies from Portland. They 
seemed to sympathize with her, and afterward sent her 
several articles of furniture for the table. Lucy, however, 
took cold, which caused her some pain and trouble ; and 
she was obliged to go back to Mr. Rosebrook's and 
remain there three weeks longer. 

I hired two joiners, and went twelve miles for lumber, 
to work with, and while we were thus engaged, Colonel 
Binney, from Boston, with two young men, came along, 
by the way of Littleton, to my place. Finding us so 
destitute of everything, they staid but a short time, 
and then went down to father's. The young men wanted 
to go on the mountain ; they consulted him, and agreed 
to take him for a guide, with a man to carry provisions 
and other necessary things. They rode to the top of the 
Notch, then sent back their carriage, and proceeded to 
the woods. They had much difficulty in managing to 
get through ; they, however, proceeded slowly ; sometimes 
crawling under a thicket of trees, sometimes over logs 
and windfalls, until they arrived where they could walk 
on the tof) of trees. This may seem to some strange, but 
it is nevertheless true. They never reached the summit 
but managed to get along on some of the hills. 

As the day was growing to a close, they returned to 
the woods, in order to pass the night, and erected a 
shelter for their protection. A dense fog arose and dur- 
ing the night it rained. In the morning, owing to the 
darkness, they could not tell the best way to proceed, 
but took the surest way, by following the Amanoosuc 
river, and came to my house. These men wore fine and 



HISTORY OF THE WhItE MOUNTAINS. 41 

costly garments into the woods, but when they returned, 
their clothes were torn and much injured by the brush, 
and their hats looked as if they had been through a beg- 
gar's press. They were much exposed all night, without 
fire or food. 

In September, there came two gentlemen to my father's, 
and engaged him to go with them to the top of Mount 
Washington, where they placed an inscription in Latin, 
which was engraved on a brass plate, and nailed it on a 
rock ; they likewise filled a bottle and put it in a rock. 
The inscription was as follows, as I had it copied and 
kept carefully at home. (I vouch not for the Latin or 
translation being correct ; it is at all events, a true copy, 
as found on the plate ; and was translated, with the ex- 
ception of the word "perspire" by a friend, who was 
afterward in the vicinity.) 

"Altius ibunt, qui ad summa nitunteer" — They will 
go higher who strive to enter heaven. u JVil reputans, si 
quid superesset agendum " — Think nothing done while 
anything remains to be done. "Sic itur ad astral — We 
go thus to the stars. " Stinere facto per inhostales sylvas 
Hustribus prarngtis feliciter superrtes. {Eheu quantus 
adest vius sudor!) Johannes Brazer, Cantabrigsensis, 
Georgius Dawson, Philadelphiensis, hie posuerant ivid 
Beptembris MDCCCXVIII." After passing inhospita- 
ble woods, and surmounting abrupt ledges ( how it made 
us perspire), John Brazer, of Cambridge, and George 
Dawson, of Philadelphia, placed this inscription here on 
the fourth day of the Ides of September, 1818. 

We succeeded in having a comfortable, small house, 
for the winter 1819. We had now many difficulties to 



42 HISTOBY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

encounter, owing to the limited size of our small house ; 
it being at that time the principal, if not the only market 
road then traveled by the people, who depended upon 
going to market in the winter with their produce, from 
the upper part of New Hampshire, and even west of Ver- 
mont ; and the snow did not fall early to make a good 
sleigh path. When it did, our house was filled, and Lucy 
would many times have to make a large bed on the floor 
for them to lie down upon, with their clothes on, and I 
would build a large fire in a large rock or stone chimney, 
that would keep them warm through the night. It was 
no uncommon thing to burn in that fire-place a cord of 
wood in twenty-four hours, and sometimes more. 

At this time my father thought it best to sell, as there 
was a chance, he thought ; he being holden with me on 
the notes, I suppose, would like to have been liberated 
from them. He consulted with grandmother, and gave 
her and William a mortgage of his farm, at that time 
worth two of mine, so that there should be no incum- 
brance on my barn. But the man to whom we expected 
to sell, drew back, and we still remained, and struggled 
along as well as we could, through the winter. 

In the month of May four gentlemen came on horse- 
back to visit the mountains. I gave them the best infor- 
mation I could. They set off together, and made the 
best they could of their excursion through the forests, 
but suffered considerable inconvenience by the thickness of 
the trees and brash, which would every now and then 
take hold of their clothes, and stop them ; they returned 
well satisfied, notwithstanding the unfriendly brush. 

As this was the third party which had visited the 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 43 

mountains since I came here to live, we thought it best 
to cut a path through the woods ; accordingly my father 
and I made a foot path from the Notch out through the 
woods, and it was advertised in the newspapers, and we 
soon began to have a few visitors. As my accommoda- 
tions were limited, small jparties were under the necessity 
of stopping at my father's, eight miles from the Notch. 

This summer I succeeded in removing a barn from the 
place where our house had been brought by our neigh- 
bors, after the fire, and I converted the barn into a stable 
for horses. We considered it quite comfortable for the 
winter, and as I had payments to make, I had to work 
economically to be able. 

I spent the winter of 1820 in doing my own work and 
assisting the traveler up and down the Notch, and over 
the mountains toward Lancaster. As it is a common 
thing for the wind to sweep away the snow through the 
Notch, opening and leaving it bare, so the teamsters 
required help to get along, and sometimes they have 
been obliged to leave a part of their loads at the Notch 
House, and I have gone down there and taken it and con- 
veyed it to the owners, and on my return would bring 
home grain and other necessary things for our use, as I 
ever calculated to manage so as to load both ways, and 
not lose my time or the wear of my horses for nothing. 

In March, as I had a famous dog for catching deer, I 
told Lucy one pleasant morning, I was going out to the 
Notch with my dog, and I hoped to bring a deer home, 
alive, and we would tame him. She smiled and said to 
me, she thought I had better give up such an idea as that, 
for who could catch and halter-break a wild animal like a 



44 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

deer. Never mind, said I, there is nothing like trying. 
So I took my rope, dog and snow-shoes, and commenced 
my journey. After traveling about four miles in the 
roads, I turned out and went into the woods, say half a 
mile, when Watch, my dog, gave an alarm, which told 
me he had found a deer. I went as fast as I could and 
told Watch to be careful and not hurt the deer. He 
had found a young buck and stopped him ; I went up and 
Watch took him by the ear, and held him, while I tied 
on my rope in form of a halter, and then began to descend 
the hill, and come into the road. He was rather turbu- 
lent at first, but soon became quite tame and peaceable, 
and would smell of my hands, as I perspired some, as if 
for salt. I brought him home, and made a place in the 
stable and put him in, and Lucy's little brother fed him 
with cabbage and small pieces of cut potatoes. We kept 
him until June, when by accident, the little boy happened 
to leave one whole potato, which got so far into his 
throat, that I could not remove it, and consequently the 
poor thing died. 

In May, there came a gentleman and lady, and put up 
with us, for the night; it began to snow, and in the 
morning the snow was good twelve inches deep ; and they 
being in a hurry, were desirous to proceed on their jour- 
ney, but did not know how they could get through the 
snow with their wagon. I then brought up my horse 
sled, took off the wheels from their wagon, and placed 
them and the wagon on the sled, and prepared a seat for 
each of us to ride comfortably, attached my horse to the 
sled, and carried them to Bethlehem, twelve miles. As we 
had now got out of the snowy region, and they could 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 45 

travel by themselves, I assisted in putting their carriage 
together again, for which he gave me a dollar, and we 
took our leave of each other, and they pursued their way 
and I returned home. I went one and a half miles down 
the Amanoosuc river, or Ompompanusuck, according to 
the ancient Indian name, and took the frame of an old 
grist mill, which stood there useless, and which belonged 
to me, and brought* it home, having taken it apart, and 
made a temporary cheese house, and had a dairy, and 
made twelve hundred weight of cheese, which I carried 
to market m the fall, and sold for a good price. This 
enabled me to make another payment of $200. 

This summer there came a considerable large party of 
distinguished characters, such as the author of the New 
Hampshire map, etc., to my house, about noon, to ascend 
the mountains and give names to such hills as were un- 
named, and after a dinner of trout, they set out, taking 
me for a guide and baggage-carrier. We rode to the 
Notch, and there I was loaded equal to a pack-horse, 
with cloaks and necessary articles for two nights, with a 
plenty of what some call " Black Betts," or " O-be-joy- 
ful," as it was the fashion in those days, to make use of 
this kind of stuff, and especially upon such occasions. 
We traveled on until we reached the camp, about three 
miles from the road, then I struck up a fire, cut wood, 
and prepared our usual supper, spread our blankets, 
brought for that purpose, and after some interesting sto- 
ries told by the party, I believe we all fell asleep. In the 
morning, after breakfast, we started on our intended ex- 
pedition, taking only provisions enough for the day, and 
a sufficient quantity of " O-be-joyful," and set forward 



46 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

and went over several hills, and came to a beautiful 
pond of clear water, distant one mile from the apex 
of the hill. Here we made a stop for some time, 
enjoying the water, which was delicious, and then went 
to the summit of Mount Washington. There they 
gave names to several peaks, and then drank healths 
to them in honor to the great 'men whose names they 
bore, and gave toasts to them ; and after they had all got 
through, they put it upon me to do the same ; but as this 
was a new thing to me, and not being prepared, I could 
only express my feelings by saying I hoped all of us 
might have good success and return to our respective 
families in safety, and find them in health ; which was 
answered by a cheer from all, as they had cheered at 
other times before, when any one had drank a toast. 
The day was fine, and our feelings seemed to correspond 
with the beauties of the day, and after some hours had 
swiftly passed away in this manner, we concluded to 
leave this grand and magnificent place and return to a 
lower situation on earth. We then left the hill, and 
came down to the before mentioned pond. Here we 
staid a long time partaking of its waters, until some of us 
became quite blue, and from this circumstance we agreed 
to give it the name of Blue Pond, and at rather a late 
hour we left it and proceeded toward the camp, but did 
not all arrive there until nine o'clock in the evening. 
This water so much troubled one of our party, or the el- 
evated situation on which we traveled, fatigue, or some 
other cause, had such an effect upon him that he could 
not get along without my assistance ; and he being a man 
of two hundred weight, caused me to make use of all my 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 47 

strength, at times. I, however, managed to get clown at 
last, and when I did, I was so tired, I prostrated myself 
upon the ground and told them I could do no more that 
night, they must look out for themselves, for I was tired 
to the very bone. They cut some wood and did the best 
they could that night, and in the morning, sleep had again 
restored us, so that after taking some refreshment, we 
started for home, where we all arrived in safety, and in 
good spirits. Here we with pleasure recalled the pro- 
ceedings of the previous day, and j^artaking of another 
dinner, most of them returned to their j)laces of residence 
the same day. 

In September, at one time, there came a number of 
gentlemen up through the Notch, and sent to me to pre- 
pare and furnish them with provisions and other necessa- 
ries for the expedition. I was accordingly fitted out, and 
when ready, my pack weighed eighty pounds. I carried 
it to the Notch on horseback, and when I arrived there 
the sun was setting, and the party had taken the path 
and gone along and left their cloaks by the way for me. 
I piled them on top of my load and budged on as fast as 
possible, and when I arrived at the camp it was dusk ; 
there was no fire ; wood was to be chopped, and supper 
to prepare, and when all this was done, I was tired 
enough to sleep without being rocked in a cradle. 

In November I went on the hill in front of my house, 
south, and there set up a short line of sable traps, twenty- 
three in number, and caught twenty-five sables of fine 
quality, and one black cat, or fisher. 

The winter of 1821 I spent doing- my own work and 
buying salt, and transporting it from Portland to Lancas- 



48 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

ter, and exchanging it with the merchants for grain and 
other things for my family's use. And as I had been 
somewhat unlucky with my pet deer last summer, I 
thought to try again for another, and in a manner like 
the former one, I prepared and went near the same place. 
I found several, one of which I took alive. This was a 
beautiful young doe and she was with young. I now felt 
quite rich in taking this prize. I suppose my feelings 
were similar to those spoken of by Robinson Crusoe, when 
he succeeded in taking the llamas on the island. I did 
not know but that they might increase ; we could build a 
j)ark and keep them, as these animals are easily tamed, 
and then I should have them to show our visitors in the 
summer when they came. Perhaps I could now and 
then spare one for the table, if requested by them ; but 
alas ! this was only imaginary, like the fable of the maid 
and her milk pail. I put on my rope in the same manner 
as I did the former one, and began to try to lead her, but 
I could do nothing with her ; she would not walk with 
me, so I shouldered her and brought her into the road ; 
this made quite a load for me to travel with, as I was then 
four miles from home ; but said I to myself, without some 
pain there will be no gain ; so I made the best I could of 
it, and when in the road would often set her down 
and try to lead her, but I could not. This was not ex- 
actly like the one I had taken the preceding year, it was 
of a dark brown color. After I got her home, I had 
either hurt her in bringing her home, or she was so deli- 
cate she would not partake of food, and to put her out of 
misery, I concluded we had better dress her. This was 
as fine a jriece of venison as I had ever seen. Now as I 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 49 

had not saved this one's life, I said I would go again ; 
so I went and my dog started a good sized buck, and 
followed him toward home, and near the road he had 
stopped him, and then waited for me to come up and 
take him, and while there they were observed by some 
travelers passing along at this time, before I had 
time to come up with him, although I made long strides 
on my snow-shoes, as I feared something would happen 
to him. When I came up, I found the traveler had 
been to the house and obtained a gun and shot him, and 
to my great mortification I found him dead, with the 
man exulting in triumph over this great feat which he 
had performed. I then told him the great disappoint- 
ment which he had unconsciously given me ; but as he 
was dead, it was of no use to make many words about it, 
so he helped me to bring him home, and here he was 
served like the former one, and sent to Portland. 

In March, I hired Esquire Stuart to come with his com- 
pass and go into the woods, and see if there could not be 
a better and more practicable way found to ascend the 
mountains. We set out with provisions, blankets, fire- 
works, and snow-shoes for the woods. We set our c©m- 
pass, and spotted trees, which made a line to be followed 
at another time. When night came on, I built a camp and 
struck up a fire. We ate our supper and retired with 
our dog quietly to rest. We spent three days in making 
this search, and returned well satisfied we had found the 
best way ; for the road which we had heretofore traveled 
was an uneven one, going up a hill and then down again, 
and this in so many successions, that it made it tiresome 
to those who were not accustomed to this kind of jour- 
3 



50 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

neying. The way which we had now found was over a 
comparatively level surface for nearly seven miles, follow- 
ing the source of the Amanoosuc, or Ompompanusuck, 
until we arrived at the foot of Mount Washington, and 
then taking a ridge or spur of the hill. We could now 
ascend without much difficulty, and found there might be 
a roacT made, with some expense, sufficiently good, so 
that we might ride this seven miles, which we thought 
would facilitate the visitor very much in his progress ; 
and, to add to my encouragement, some gentlemen from 
Boston made a subscription in 1823 to this purport : that, 
providing I should make a good carriage road, and have 
it passable in three years, they would be holden to pay 
the sums which were set against their respective 
names ; and we had nearly $200 subscribed for this pur- 
pose ; but as I was already under so much embarrassment 
I did not feel able to build an addition to my house, and 
I well knew that if I made this road, and did not have 
suitable accommodations for those who would be likely 
to come, it would only be imposing upon the public to 
have a road to the mountain and not have house room 
enough to make those comfortable who came to stay 
with us. I, therefore, was obliged to give up this gener- 
ous offer of theirs, and at my own expense do what I 
could from one year to another ; but still intending to do 
everything in my power to make all happy as possible in 
my humble situation. 

In the summer, just before haying, I hired men and 
went with them to cut this path, and while in the woods, 
at the distance of three miles from home, as I was stand- 
ing on an old log chopping, with my axe raised, the log 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 51 

broke, and I came down with such force that the axe 
struck my right ankle and glanced, nearly cutting my heel 
cord off ; I. bled freely, and so much so that I was una- 
ble to stand or go. The men that were with me, one a 
brother of mine, and another stout man, took the cloths 
we had our dinner wrapped in, and tied up my wound as 
well as they could, and then began to contrive means to 
' get me out of the woods. They cut a round pole, and 
with their frocks which they wore tied me in underneath 
it, and thought they could carry me in like manner as we 
bring dead bears through the woods ; but in this way I 
could not ride. They then let me down, and took turns 
in carrying me on their backs, until we got out of the 
woods; and then one of them came home and got a 
horse, upon whose back I was helped ; and I thus rode * 
home with both feet on one side in ladies' fashion, 
and when I arrived there I was assisted in alighting. 
There happened to be at my house then, a Mrs. Stalbard, 
who is known in our country and bore the name of 
Granny Stalbard, whose head was whitened with more 
than eighty years ; who ought to be remembered for the 
good she had done, and many sufferings and hardships 
she endured to assist others in distress, and who seemed 
to be raised for the same end for which she lived in those 
days. She was an old Doctress woman ; one of the first 
female settlers in Jefferson, and she had learned from the 
Indians the -virtues of roots and herbs, and the various 
ways in which they could be made useful. Now the old 
lady said it was best to examine this wound and have it 
properly dressed; but as it had stopped bleeding I 
told her I thought it better to let it remain as it then 



52 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

was ; but she thinking she was the elder, and knew bet- 
ter, unwrapped it, and it soon set bleeding afresh, and it 
was with difficulty she now stopped it. She, however, 
went into the field, plucked some young clover leaves, 
pounded them in a mortar, and placed them on my 
wound ; this stopped the blood so suddenly that it caused 
me to faint ; this was a new thing to me — a large stout 
man to faint ! — which made me feel rather queerly, but 
there was no help for it. This wound laid me up pretty 
much the rest of the summer, but still we persevered, 
and these men, with some others, finished cutting the 
path through the woods. So it is that men suffer various 
ways in advancing civilization, and through God, man- 
kind are indebted to the labors of men in many different 
spheres of life. 



>> 



CHAPTER V. 

This fall Captain Partridge came with a number of 
Cadets to ascend the mountain, and as I was not able to 
walk, we were under the necessity of sending for our 
nearest neighbor, Mr. Rosebrook, to guide them ; and 
likewise at other times, we were obliged to send for him 
to guide gentlemen up the hills. 

At this time, there was to be a general muster at Lan- 
caster, and as I was lame, and not able to walk, Lucy 
was anxious to visit her parents in Guildhall, just oppo- 
site that place, and we concluded to go and see them ; 
and on the day appointed, I, with others, went to see the 
soldiers perform ; and while I was sitting down on the 
ground, there came a man who was celebrated for wrest- 
ling, and laid hold of me, and stumj)ed me to throw him. 
I eased him off, and then he went to others in the same 
way, and received similar treatment, until he upset a 
whole row of old men sitting on a rail fence or board. 
He came again, and insisted upon my taking hold with 
him. I told him I was not in the habit of that kind of 
sport, and also, I was lame, and could not, if I had a dis- 
position to ; and he came the third time and caught hold 
of my vest and rent it several inches in length, and at the 
same time with his foot gave me such a blow on my lame 
ankle, that the hurt raised my temper to such a degree, 
that, unconscious of what I did, I put my fist in such an 
attitude that it laid him prostrate on the ground. He 

53 



54 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

was taken up with rather a disfigured face ; for which I 
was immediately sorry, for I knew he was influenced by 
liquor; but it was done, and many were glad of it, while 
I was ashamed to think I had given way to passion, and 
when I came to where Lucy was, I asked her to forgive 
my imprudence by mending my vest. I told her it should 
be the last time I would give way to an angry passion, 
and I have thus far kept my word. 

In August 31, 1821, there came three young ladies, the 
Misses Austin, who were formerly from Portsmouth, to 
ascend the hills, as they were ambitious and wanted to 
have the honor of being the first females who placed their 
feet on this high, and now celebrated, place, Mount 
Washington. They were accompanied by their brother 
and Charles J. Stewart, Esq., who was then engaged to 
one of them, and married her, July 4, 1822, and Mr. 
Faulkner, who was then a tenant on their farm in Jeffer- 
son, attending with their baggage. They were provided 
with everything necessary for the exjDedition, and set for- 
ward. They went as far as the first camp that night, 
dividing it into two apartments, and then put up. The 
next morning they pursued their way until they reached 
the next canip, which they in like manner divided. It 
came on unfavorable weather, and now being in pretty 
good quarters, they staid and waited for a better pros- 
pect. And as their store of provisions began to fall 
short, Mr. Faulkner came in and said that I must, if I 
possibly could, go and relieve him, as he had grain out in 
the field, then suffering, and they wished to have me ac- 
company them. 

I now mustered all my courage, as I was then lame, 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 55 

took a load on my back and a cane in my hand to help 
my lame foot, which was now healed over, and went and 
overtook them. The weather also looking favorable, we 
ascended at six o'clock in the morning, and reached the 
summit just as the sun had got to the meridian. What a 
beautiful siojht ! We could look over the whole creation 
with wonder and surprise, as far as the eye could extend, 
in every direction, and view the wonderful works of God ! 
Every large pond and sheet of water was plain to be seen, 
within the circuit of one hundred miles, for some time, 
until the sun had got up so high as to cause a vapor to 
rise from the waters ; this, also, was grand to see ; the 
commencement of the little vapor, which would grow 
larger and larger, until it made a cloud and entrenched 
the view. Houses and farms were to be seen at a dis. 
tance, so far off that they appeared nothing more than 
small specks. At one time, previous, when here with 
some gentlemen, we counted forty-two different ponds in 
different directions. The Sebago Pond is distinctly to 
be seen, and some have thought they could see the ocean 
from this place ; but as there is no object beyond, it ap- 
pears to look like a cloud, differing only a trifle in color 
from the sky. The ladies returned, richly paid for their 
trouble, after being out five days and three nights. I 
think this act of heroism ought to confer an honor on 
them, as everything was done Avith so much prudence 
and modesty by them ; there was not left a trace or even 
a chance for a reproach or slander excepting by those 
who thought themselves outdone by these young ladies. 

The winter of 1822, as my ankle was weak, and the 
rheumatism now found its way to it, I staid at home as 



56 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

much as possible, doing only what necessity really com- 
pelled me to, and in the spring I made a considerable 
improvement on my mountain road. That summer I 
went on the mountain with one gentleman, and as he was 
a good traveler, we reached the top of the mountain 
and returned to the camp before sunset. He proposed 
coming home that night, so we took some refreshments 
and started, and came along until it grew quite dark, and 
I proposed to take a little nap and wait for the moon to 
rise and give us some light. He hesitated a little in con- 
sequence of the wild beasts, which he said might happen 
along, and take us while sleeping. I advised him to calm 
his fears for my faithful dog would keep watch. We 
took our blankets and lay down and soon fell asleep. 
Presently there came a large bear spattering along in full 
speed, and as the air came along with him he did not per- 
ceive us until within a few feet of us, and then the dog 
sprang up and went after him ; this awakened us, and as 
the moon had now got up so high as to shine among the 
trees, we could pursue our path quite well, and arrived 
home about twelve o'clock. 

We set traps, and caught two at one time, and some 
more at other times this season, from which, we obtained 
considerable oil. 

In August we had some young gentlemen from a Uni- 
versity. They were preparing for the ministry, and as 
they needed exercise, and a respite from their studies, 
they chose this place to spend their leisure hours, and 
regain their strength, and view and contemplate upon 
the works of God, and climb the mountain. I went 
with them as guide, and on the way I tried to shorten 
the distance, and make their toil less tiresome by some 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 57 

anecdotes, and telling some little stories ; but as this did 
not coincide with their feelings, I gave up these trifles, 
and remained silent most of the way ; and when arriving 
at the summit, they on this high and elevated spot of- 
fered prayers to Almighty God for his goodness. This 
was, I think, the first prayer T ever heard on this moun- 
tain. This appeared solemn — now so high in the air, 
where we could look down upon inferior objects — what 
could be more interesting ? 

The same month others came, and among them was a 
sea-captain, a man of good stature and heavy ; he, while 
coming down from the hill, and in the act of jumping 
from one sto*ie to another, lying there promiscuously, 
slipped, and unfortunately sprained his ankle. This was 
some trouble to him the rest of the way ; however, he 
managed to get home. This was the greatest injury 
happening to any person while going up or coming down 
the hills, to my knowledge, during our stay at the White 
Mountains. 

This summer we had some trouble with Uncle Will- 
iam, as brother had predicted, when he told me if I 
should go up there I must expect trouble from near rela- 
tives. As our situation was so uncomfortable, grand- 
mother was under the necessity of making my father's 
house her home, and she was desirous of having William 
live with her ; yet she did not complain of his being ill 
treated, but wanted him, and coaxed him to go there and 
live with her. But he did not stay long, as they could 
do without him. They advised him to come home 
again, but this was contrary to the old lady's feelings, 
and she then advised him to go and live with his broth- 
3* 



58 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

er, and as he had ever been at her command, he obeyed 
her, and. went. But this was not home to him; and 
after a while he returned, and said he would not be con- 
trolled any more, but would remain on his farm; he 
therefore came back, and received from us as good treat- 
ment as he ever had done. 

In September, as I was ascending the mountain with 
two young gentlemen, we saw in the path, at some dis- 
tance from the camp, a large bear's track, but saw noth- 
ing of the bear. On our descent, near this place, the 
dog left us, and in a few minutes went to barking in 
great earnest. I said, he has something. I went a few 
steps, and saw a cub, the bigness ^f a good-sized cur dog, 
climbing a tree. How we could get him was the next 
thing. We talked it over, and agreed that one should 
stand in the road and keep watch for the old one, whom 
we expected, should she hear the cries of her cub, and 
the other should climb the tree, and get him off, while I 
and the dog should remain at the foot of the tree and 
take him. The cub was followed up the tree in good 
style. He then walked out pn a limb, "and from that into 
a small tree, which I took hold of, and shook so hard 
that he fell off, and the dog caught him. I then took 
hold of him, and tying his mouth with my handkerchief, 
brought him safely home, and kept him some time. At 
length a hired man set up a pole, and tied a leather strap 
around his neck, and gave him a trough of water to 
bathe in. This he enjoyed remarkably well for a while, 
but when the strap stretched he slipped out his head, 
and said, I suppose, good day. 

This winter, 1822, I spent in buying salt, and trans- 
porting it from Portland to Colebrook, and exchanging it 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 59 

for grain ; I likewise bought a nice mare, for which I paid 
in salt. I transported the salt with this mare by sleigh 
loads. This winter my dog caught a great many deer, 
and would go with any one who desired him ; but an 
enemy wanted him, and as he could not have him, be- 
cause he was engaged, he gave him poison ; and I lost my 
famous dog. But shortly after, I bought another equally 
as good. 

In June, when returning from the camp, in company 
with two young gentlemen, as we were traveling along, 
we saw a bunch of "mountain ash ; they stopped, and each 
cut for himself a beautiful, nice and straight cane, which 
they intended to carry home with them ; and after this 
was done, we again pursued our path, I forward, and 
they after me, in Indian file, as this was the manner in 
which we used to travel. The one behind saw another 
bunch, from which he thought he could select a better 
cane. He stopped to cut it, while we were walking on ; 
and he, being in a hurry, after he had cut this, to over- 
take us, unmindfully crossed the path, and steered di- 
rectly into the woods. The other one that was next to 
me, observing his companion was not with us, was alarm- 
ed, saying he was subject to fainting fits, and thought he 
must, have fainted. I immediately threw off my load and 
ran back to where I supposed we left him ; there I hollo- 
ed as loud as my lungs would admit, a number of times. 
He at length heard, and stopped. He was completely 
lost, and could not find his way back. He answered, and 
I went to him, and put him in the right path again. 
This frightened me more than all the bears in the woods ; 
but it however served as a lesson to others, never to give 
up a certainty for an uncertainty. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The summer of 1823, Chancellor Kent, from New 
York, came to my house with two young gentlemen. As 
he was desirous of passing this way, he hired a private 
conveyance here, after leaving the stage, which did not 
then pass through the Notch, as the mail was then some- 
times transported on horseback and sometimes in a one 
horse wagon. He chartered me to carry them to Con- 
way, when they wculd take the stage again. After 
putting up with our accommodations through the night, 
in the morning I harnessed my two mares, who had each 
a young colt, and they took the road forward and their 
mothers behind, which made a regular team ; this amused 
them much. I carried them to the destined place, the 
same day ; and while on the way, we had an interesting 
time in exchanging jokes, etc. 

In July, another man and myself took blankets, pro- 
visions, and other necessary things, for a small party, 
who were going to stay the second night on Mount 
Washington, as they were desirous of being there and 
seeing the appearance of the sun, when it should set in 
the evening and rise in the morning. After staying at 
the foot of the hill over night, we ascended, and being 
there in season, went to work and built three stone 
cabins. We then collected a quantity of dry moss, laid 
it in them for beds, spread our blankets, and at an early 
hour, on this elevated spot, retired to rest, now prostrate 
60 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 61 

on the ground, so much nearer Heaven than what we had 
ever been accustomed. Our sleep was not exactly sound, 
but was interrupted by dreams, which one would natural- 
ly suppose would be the case. In the morning we awoke 
betimes to view the object we came for. We had the 
advantage of our neighbors in seeing the appearance of 
light first ; and when the sun rose, it came up, as it were, 
behind a veil, and appeared the bigness of a good sized 
cart-wheel. We could look upon it without straining 
our eyes, as well as we can look upon the full moon ; and 
then it rose from behind this cloud, and came out in its 
full splendor and glory. This was the first night I ever 
slept on Mount Washington. One of the party made the 
following lines : 

The Muses' most inspiring draught, 
From Helicon's pure fountain quaff d, 
What is it, to the rising sun, 
Seen from the top of Washington ! 
Canst thou bear a dreary night? 
Stranger! go enjoy the sight. 

We then returned over Munroe, Franklin and Pleasant 
Mountains, following our old path, came in at the Notch, 
and from there home. 

It was now beginning to be fashionable for ladies, at- 
tended by gentlemen, to visit this place, both for health 
and amusement, and we were most of the time crowded. 
As our house was so small, we could accommodate but 
a few at a time, although we could give them clean beds ; 
but they were obliged to stow closely at night, and near 
the roof, as we had but two small sleeping rooms down 
stairs, and these were generally occupied by ladies ; the 



62 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

gentlemen were under the necessity of going up stairs, 
and there lay so near each other, that their beds nearly 
touched ; but as we did all we could for them, they 
seemed satisfied with it. 

In August, there came at one time, three different par- 
ties, which made quite a number for us in those days. 
Early in the morning, the gentlemen set out for the hills, 
leaving the ladies to amuse themselves and achieve such 
victories as they, in their capacity, might think proper. 
After dinner, the ladies inquired if the hill north of my 
house had ever been visited, and whether there were any 
views that were interesting? And after receiving an 
answer in the affirmative, they started and took the near- 
est route, which was a very rough one. One of them be- 
ing active and ambitious, said she would be the first one 
up. She then set out in great haste, supposing that this 
could be done in a few minutes. The day being warm, 
she soon grew fatigued, and perspiring freely, she gave 
out before she had attained half its summit, and returned 
nearly exhausted. She said this hill should bear the name 
of Mount Deception, for its deceptive appearance ; and, 
from this circumstance, it has since been called by that 
name. The other ladies, taking it with more moderation, 
reached the top of the hill ; here they could see some 
habitations in Bethel, and had a good prospect of the val- 
ley, and the way in which we travel to go up the moun- 
tain, which is a delightful view. They returned in a 
different way. In the evening I amused them with the 
sound of my long tin horn, sent me by a gentleman from 
Portland, for the benefit of the echo, which, when the 
horn was sounded, would vibrate along the side of the 



HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 63 

hill, until the sound would die away on the ear. This 
had a strange effect on one lady, as she said it seemed 
when the horn was sounded as if it were answered by 
a supernatural voice from Heaven, inspiring her with 
strange ideas or feelings, which she never before experi- 
enced. 

Again, we had another party cbme, from which I will 
relate a circumstance. We went up the mountain, the 
weather then looking favorable, until we reached the 
top of the hill, and then we went into a cloud, which 
was dark all around us. Having reached the summit, 
and not having any landmarks to direct us back, and not 
being acquainted with the weather here, we staid only 
long enough for them to carve their names, and then 
tried to return ; but I was lost, myself, for a short time. 
I started toward the east, and we wandered about until 
we came near the edge of a great gulf. Here we staid 
and amused ourselves by rolling such large stones as we 
could find loose, and these being started, went with such 
force that they would take others with them, and then 
rest only in the valley beneath. Although a little dan- 
ger was encountered in this kind of sport, had one of us 
slipped accidentally and been precipitated down the 
gulf, yet it was actually a grand sight ; and while we 
were enjoying this, there came up a strong wind and car- 
ried away the clouds in as short time as they had been 
slathering: and coming on. Now what a contrast, to have 
the darkness all taken away, and then a perfect, clear 
sunshine come on. It cheered all hearts. We then had 
a good prospect of all the country around, and this op- 
portunity was not lost. We could see what course to 



64 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

steer, beat our way toward the path, and succeeded in 
finding it, and returned home. 

At another time I went up the mountains with two 
gentlemen. We started in the morning, with the prospect 
of a clear day, and having attained the summit, could 
see the clouds gathering below us ; and as the lightning 
streaked along in the clouds, a rumbling noise was 
heard, but not like the sound of thunder. Here, as 
there was nothing to give it an echo, it only sounded like 
a rumbling noise in the distance, but it was near us. 
What a situation to be placed in, so high in the air ! 
Like the eagle, we could now look down upon a raging 
storm, while the atmosphere above was perfectly clear. 
We then went down to Blue Pond, and, while here, the 
wind came up, attended with hail, which descended with 
such violence that it seemed as though every hail stone 
left a mark on our faces ; and to prevent losing our hats, 
we were obliged to tie them on with our handkerchiefs. 
We Avent strii£fo;linGf against the wind a distance of one 
and a half miles ; sometimes it was with difficulty we 
could stand or walk, until after we had attained this dis- 
tance ; we then got below the wind, and could now pur- 
sue our way home, in a moderate rain. We arrived there 
completely drenched. 

Two gentlemen from Boston came, and went up the 
mountain. After remaining on its summit as long as 
they wished, returned by the way of Blue Pond, and 
from thence down Escape Glen, as they termed it, to the 
camp, — a passage romantic, but precipitous, where one of 
them, as they said, came near losing his life, by taking 
hold of an old root of a tree to support himself, which 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 65 

gave way. He was over a perpendicular precipice of 
fifty feet, but fortunately saved himself, and returned 
safely home. He experienced- no injury, save that of be- 
ing frightened. 

This spring and summer, the gray cat or Siberia lynx, 
troubled us very much, making several depredations 
among our sheep and geese, and we underwent some 
fears for the safety of our children. These cats were 
bold and not afraid of man, never putting themselves 
much out of the way to shun him. At one time a gentle- 
man was coming down Cherry Mountain in a sleigh, and 
saw two of these animals engaged in a quarrel, as it ap- 
peared to him, in the road before him ; and it was with 
some difficulty that he could convince them that the road 
belonged to him ; but with some entreaties, they separat- 
ed, one on either side, giving him just room to pass. He 
said he might have reached them with his whip, but as 
they were content to let him pass, he was content not 
to disturb them in their angry looking position. I set 
traps, and in various ways tried to catch them. I even 
killed a hen and set her for bait, feathers and all on, in 
the appearance of life, supposing they would like this, 
but they only seemed to amuse themselves by this, in 
coming up and looking at it, and then passing on. At 
length I thought of one more thing to try. I took some 
pickled fish, which had a strong smell to it, for bait ; and 
the first one afterward who happened this way, had the 
curiosity to see what was there ; and as the trap was be- 
tween him and the fish, he put his foot in the trap and 
was held fast. He managed to move the trap a little dis- 
tance, but was soon fastened by the grapple, which 



66 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

caught in a thicket, where I found him. He was lying 
i:>artly hid, and I did not perceive him until I came near 
stepping upon him, when he suddenly started up, and I 
as soon sprang back to find something to defend myself 
with ; and when prepared, entered into an engagement 
with him, which was rather a tough one, he having the 
advantage, being in the thicket. I conquered him at 
last, and brought him home in triumph ; he measured six 
feet and over. In this, and similar ways, I caught six of 
them. The next spring I took one by stratagem, as I 
was traveling down through the Notch with a team and 
dog. Below the Notch House, while we were going on, 
my dog came upon the track of one of these animals, who 
had just crossed the road before us; the dog followed so 
closely that the animal sprang into a tree, and then the 
dog sat at the bottom, barking earnestly at him. I knew 
he had something, and leaving my team in the road, took 
my small axe with me, which I always carried, and went 
to him ; he was up a tree thirty feet, watching the move- 
ments of the dog. I then cut two birch sticks, the long- 
est I could select, and twisting the ends put them to- 
gether, and at one extremity of the stick I made a ring 
with a slip noose to it ; this I ran up through the boughs 
of the tree, and so managed to get it over his head, then 
giving a sudden jerk, brought him down ten feet ; he 
caught on a limb, and the halter slipped off. I then fix- 
ed it again, and he being nearer, gave me a better chance. 
I put it over his head, down on his neck, so that it held 
him fast, and then giving another jerk, fetched him to 
the ground. The dog instantly seized him, but the cat 
soon extricated himself by tearing him with his claws, 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 67 

which he seemed to know how to apply very actively, 
causing the dog to cry for quarter. The cat then gave 
a jump the length of the stick, over a spruce top -four 
feet high, with the halter still around his neck, and here 
he hung ; I then fell to beating him with a club, which I 
had previously prepared, and the dog, recovering himself, 
assisted me, and we soon finished him. Shouldering my 
booty, I returned to my team, and placing him on it, car- 
ried him down to my father's, and there leaving him, re- 
sumed my journey. On my return I took him home. I 
never saw but* one afterward, and that, as I was coming 
down Cherry Mountain ; the dog drove him into a tree, 
and I followed him up there, myself ; but the trees were 
so thick that he jumped from one to another, and thus 
made his escape, for the time. But shortly after, I had a 
trap set in a brook, near the mouth, where it empties in- 
to the Amanoosuc, hoping that I might catch an otter ; 
the trap set near the end of a log which crossed the 
stream, and was fastened by a chain to a limb, six feet 
above the water, and this cat, wanting to cross the brook 
here, walked on the log, when, stepping off, he put his 
foot in the trap, and there he was held. He managed to 
get back on the log, and then on the limb, and wound up 
the chain in such a manner, that he could not get either 
way ; here I found him, dead, suspended between heaven 
and earth. On these animals I had a premium of three 
dollars apiece, which nearly paid me for my loss and 
trouble. After making this havoc among them, I was 
never troubled with any of them again, while living at 
the Hills, and there being no signs of them, I supposed 
I destroyed the whole family. 



68 HISTORY .OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

In October there came to my house, a family from 
Portsmouth, who had hired a man to carry them to Jef- 
ferson in a coach, and it had begun to snow before they 
arrived here, and they concluded to put up with me for 
the night, and had it not been for this circumstance, 
they would have had time to have finished their journey 
that night. The next morning, as it continued to snow, 
the man hired me to carry them the rest of the way, and 
the other returned home. They staid the next day, and 
the second morning, as it had done snowing, I harnessed 
up two horses, and put them on before a good yoke of 
oxen, and commenced my task; and when going over 
Cherry Mountain, the snow was plumb two feet deep. 
We worked hard all day to get twelve miles ; there I 
staid over night, and the next day I made out to get 
home again. This snow all went off before winter. 

I had this fall engaged the Notch House, and agreed 
to furnish it with such things as are necessary for the 
comfort of travelers and their horses. It is the case 
sometimes in the winter, that if no one lived here, peo- 
ple, it seems, must suffer with the cold, for the wind 
comes down through the narrows of the Notch witli such 
violence, that it requires two men to hold one man's hair 
on, as I have heard them say. I have never found it to 
blow so hard here as to equal this, yet it has blown so 
hard as to take loaded sleighs and carry them several 
rods to a stone wall, which was frozen down so firmly 
that it was impenetrable, and there the sleigh stopped. 
I heard a second-hand story from a clergyman, that the 
wind was once known to blow so hard here, that it took 
a log chain and carried it to the distance of a mile or 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 69 

more ; Init I do not tell this as a fact, only as a story 
which is told, and perhaps believed by some credulous 
folks who live at a distance and form strange ideas of 
this place. At one time I was going down to the Notch 
House with a load of hay, to an occupant there, when 
going round the elbow of the Notch there came a gust 
of wind and upset my load toward the gulf ; I instantly 
turned myself, and placed my feet against the railing on 
the road, that was put there for the purpose of keeping 
horses from running off, which, if I had not done, my 
load must have gone over a precipice of a hundred feet, 
with the horses attached to it, and I cannot say where I 
should have been. 

Here I waited until the wind abated, and then I put 
my shoulder under and righted it again, and went on. 
At another time some young people were going down 
here, and at or near the top of a long hill, one of the 
company's horses made a misstep and fell. In the fall, 
by some means or other, the horse entirely cleared him- 
self of all his harness, and lay by the side of the road, 
while they were permitted to pass by and go a consider- 
able distance by themselves, and the horse stopped yet 
behind, which made sport enough for the rest of the 
company for some time. 

The winter of 1824 I bought hay at Jefferson, and car- 
ried it sixteen miles to furnish the Notch place with ; 
and I had been advised by my friends to build an addi- 
tion to my house, which I was at first rather unwilling to 
do, owing to my limited circumstances not yet being ex- 
tricated from my first obligations ; however, I commenced 
drawing lumber from Bethlehem, a distance of twelve 



70 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

miles, and this work, with drawing hay and other neces- 
sary business, occuj)ied my whole time for this winter. 
In the spring I hired hands, and went industriously to 
work, and soon had a frame thirty-six by forty feet, two 
stories high, and it was raised by thirteen hands. This 
was thought to be sufficiently large to accommodate all 
who would be likely to call upon us. During the summer 
and fall we had the outside finished and painted. In 
July, we had a number of excellent gentlemen, some of 
whom were from the Southern States, to visit us, who 
gave us an account of their manner of living there, and a 
description of the country, manners, etc., which was in- 
teresting ; and another gentleman, a painter, from a dif- 
ferent part of the country, who took some beautiful 
sketches of the hills and likewise of the Notch, which 
sketches, I presume, have been finished and presented to 
the public. 

In August, we had another party who ascended the 
mountain, and while there the clouds passed swiftly from 
under us and a rumbling noise of thunder was heard, 
which excited a clergyman, one of the party, who offered 
up a very appropriate prayer to Almighty God, and then 
we sung Old Hundred, in the lines set to that tune. 



CHAPTER VII. 

This summer, owing to the dampness of the place, on 
Mount Washington, where we built stone cabins, we 
never but once afterward slept in them. I went to Port- 
land and there bought a marquee, for which I paid twen- 
ty-two dollars, sufficiently large for eighteen persons to 
sleep under at a time ; and a sheet iron stove, for which 
I paid six dollars ; and these I carried on or near the 
top, spreading our tent near a spring of water which 
lives here. Our tent with the tackling belonging to it, I 
had put up in as small a compass as possible, and it 
weighed eighty pounds and over. I then took it on my 
back and carried it almost the whole distance myself; 
but I had some visitors then going up with me, and one 
who looked and thought he felt as stout as I was, kindly 
offering to assist and relieve me, took my load, but could 
not carry it far before he was satisfied with it. He then 
laid it down and I took it again and conveyed it the re- 
mainder of the way ; and on the way we cut a pole to 
stretch this round, and I carried that up also. This, how- 
ever, did not last long, as the storms and wind are so 
violent here that we could not keep it in its place, and it 
soon wore out. At the same time we carried up a piece 
of sheet lead which I had purchased, eight or ten feet in 
•length, seven inches wide, and the thickness of paste- 
board ; this was put round a roller, which I made for the 
purpose, for the benefit of those who went up and wished 

71 



72 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

to leave their names, which they could now do much 
quicker and easier, with an iron pencil which I made, 
than they could carve them with a chisel and hammer on 
a rock. 

Shortly after this, a gentleman from Boston came and 
went up the hill without a guide, and while on the sum- 
mit of this majestic mountain, he thought it a favorable 
occasion to reconsider the doings of the meeting held at 
the same place on the 27th day of July last, by Thomas 
C. Upham and others. He called a meeting for the pur- 
pose, and as no other prominent personage seemed to 
offer, he was invited to take the chair, nemi?ie contradicte. 
He fully explained the object of the meeting, to wit : To 
select a suitable man to govern this mighty people. He 
soon heard the name of the Hon. Jas. Kent, late Chan- 
cellor of New York, called out from all parts of this im- 
mense canopy, under which our meeting was held. On 
taking the vote, it was unanimously agreed to recommend 
him as a candidate to fill the highest office in this repub- 
lic. When he declared this vote, applause, long and 
loud, rent the sky, the echo of which still fills his ears. 
Believing the above nomination will be hailed with joy 
by those who wish a virtuous man, unused to intrigue, 
to rule over us, and who are heartsick of cabal, political 
juggling and roguery, he hereby published it to the na- 
tion, believing it his duty so to do. He then returned 
home well satisfied with the proceedings of the day ; an 
account of which he published in the Album and left. I 
have here transcribed it, to show how many different ob- 
jects are sought on these mountains. 

September 10, another party ascended the mountain ; 



HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 73 

the day was clear and warm ; they found ice in great 
quantities, from four to six inches thick. 

October 2, Captain Partridge came with fifty-two 
Cadets, and as I was gone from home, Lucy managed and 
got along with them as well as she could. It was not far 
from the middle of the day when they arrived, and the 
Captain, as he had been there before, took a part of them 
and proceeded toward the camp that night, for the pur- 
pose of having the next day before him to make some 
barometrical observations, and the others went the same 
afternoon down to view the Notch and its wonders. 
Thence they returned the same evening and staid with 
us that night. Lucy gave them all the beds she then had, 
which was not enough to accommodate them. Some 
slept on the floor, and some slept in the barn, and at one 
time a number stacked themselves up in a pile by the 
side of the fence, in the bright moonshine ; but this was 
not a very comfortable situation, for the bottom 'ones re- 
moved their quarters and returned to the barn. The 
next morning after breakfast, they took a guide and went 
and met the Captain and his party coining down the hill ; 
they, however, went up, and back as far as the camp, and 
there staid that night, while the former party came home, 
and the next morning they all came together again to 
breakfast. We had one room half the bigness of the 
house, which we used as a kitchen, a victualing room, a 
sitting room, and when crowded, a sleeping room ; but 
we were a little better off at this time, having a cooking 
stove in a woodshed adjoining the house, but this place 
was not large enough to do all the work in, therefore we 
had to use the kitchen to do the rest of the work in. 
4 



74 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

Though suffering all these inconveniences, Lucy never 
murmured or complained, but bore them with patience, 
saying there was an overruling Providence in all these 
things, and that these and some other difficulties were to 
try us, and she would always put some good construction 
on everything, and view things on the bright side, and in 
this way we got along, and lived peaceably together with- 
out any difficulty. 

In the winter of 1825, I bought brick for a chimney, 
and had to draw them twenty-one miles, which made 
quite a job of it ; the lumber I had to draw from twelve 
to twenty miles. This, with what other work I had to 
do, made a good winter's work for me. The doors we 
had made in the winter, and in the spring the joiner came 
and finished his work ; and then, the mason and painter 
completed the rest, so that we had a house for our sum- 
mer company, which increased yearly. 

At this time we began to feel quite comfortable, as we 
had plenty of house room. This room required a good 
deal of furniture to make it any way decent, without 
extravagance, and we were obliged to buy such things as 
were really necessary, which did not seem much like get- 
ting out of debt, but still plunging in deeper and deep- 
er. Yet my creditors were so generous as seldom or 
ever to call upon me, when I was unprepared to meet 
them. 

The first day of June, some gentlemen came, and went 
up the mountains. They had rather a fatiguing time of 
it, as we had not cleared the path of windfalls, which had 
fallen the preceding winter, and it was excessively warm 
in the woods, the thermometer standing at 95 deg., and 






HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 75 

, on the summit at 60 deg. Heat so excessive is seldom 
experienced here. Notwithstanding, however, the ex- 
treme labor which we had to encounter, we felt ourselves 
amply rewarded by the clouds which enveloped the sum- 
mit. The clouds on the top, occasionally broke away and 
gave us beautiful views ; others appearing between the 
mountains around us, now rolling up their sides, and now 
descending into the valley beneath, forming a magnifi- 
cent prospect. As I have made some extracts from the 
visitor's album, I will make a few more, to show the dif- 
ference of the weather, and the different descriptions 
given by them, as they come in course, not all, but only 
those which I think will be interesting for those who 
have never been here, so that they can form some idea of 
the place. 

July 12th, two gentlemen and a small boy came, and 
ascended the hill, unattended by a guide ; they went 
within three quarters of a mile of the top, when they 
were overtaken by a thunder storm. One of them, with 
the boy, returned to the camp, while the other persever- 
ed and reached the summit. Mr. Hibbard, one of the 
gentlemen spoken of, gives the following account of his 
ascension : — " In the aforesaid excursion, I, the said Hib- 
bard, with precipitancy, ascended the mountain, and 
reached the summit within three or four hundred feet, 
when I was overtaken with a thick cloudy vapor, which 
rushed on with awful majesty, unmolested in its course 
even by the mountain itself, and so completely becloud- 
ed my way that it was with difficulty I reached the sum- 
mit. I then concluded to descend to the camp, but was 
met by the cloud, which shot forth vivid lightning all 



76 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

around me. It was then dark, and I made my way for 
the tent, on the summit ; and made myself as comfortable 
as I could through the night, but suffered some with 
cold." The following lines were afterward appended by 
M. F. M. Waterford jr. : 

" Whoe'er thou art, go view the White Mountains, 
Their cloud cap't tops and crystal fountains; 
Ascend and breathe the healthy mountain air, 
And view the prospect spread so wide and fair — 
Then view the Notch, my friend, return and tell, 
Could you have spent your time and cash so well? " 

The evening before, the view was grand and sublime. 

The same afternoon, a j)arty from the Columbian Acad- 
emy, with their instructor, Rev. S. R. Hall, came, and 
at six o'clock in the evening set out, intending to reach 
the camp that night, but they were overtaken by the 
storm before mentioned ; and I make use of their lan- 
guage to describe it. " The members of the Columbian 
Academy, proceeded at a very late hour, six o'clock, p.m., 
from E. A. Crawford's, and were overtaken with a se- 
vere thunder shower, before we arrived at the first camp 
three miles distant, and there was darkness impenetrable. 
We were obliged to camp in an old camp, wet, cold and 
uncomfortable, but we took no cold ; started at three 
o'clock, and arrived at the other camp, where we ob- 
tained fire, and soon had a comfortable breakfast. We 
then went toward the top of Mount Washington, and 
found it covered with impenetrable fog and clouds. We 
returned pleased but disappointed. " 

July 27th, four gentlemen came from different parts of 
the country, and I went with them on their excursion. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 77 

We started, and staid over night at the camp ; early the 
next morning we went up Mount Washington and there 
enjoyed a noble prospect. On our way home, two of 
them and myself determined to fish, and after we had ar- 
rived at the right place, we turned out and went to the 
river, while the other two proceeded toward home. Here 
we commenced our work, and as fast as we could put in 
a hook, the trout caught it. One of the party had three 
hooks attached to his line, and frequently caught three at 
a time ; but the bushes were so thick here, that thejf 
would get tangled and pester him. I told him I could 
beat him in taking them ; for I could put in and take one 
at a time, and get them faster than he could. He came 
to the same conclusion, and accordingly took off all his 
hooks but one. We # had sport enough until satisfied I 
could carry no more home, and then we left off. We 
caught in a short time one hundred and thirty-five trout, 
as many as I could stow in my provision sack, then went 
home, with a plenty of this kind of food to last during 
their stay, which was enjoyed with equal pleasure, as 
when we were taking them. 

About this time a botanist came, who was making a 
collection of the plants of the White Mountains, as he 
could obtain here some rare ones, such as are not to be 
found elsewhere in America. I accompanied him in 
some of his tours around the mountains, and learned the 
different plants and names, and the different places 
where they grew. He went three times up and around 
the hills, and staid some weeks with us. In one of his 
excursions, he was accompanied by three gentlemen and 
a guide ; and the following description of the excursion 



78 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

was given by one of the party : " Left Mr. Crawford's 
house at seven o'clock, a.m., and reached the summit at 
one o'clock, p.m. In the afternoon we were governed by 
the botanist and his guide. We concluded to camp on 
the summit, and accordingly stowed ourselves away up- 
on the moss on the lee side of a rock, without fire or can- 
dles, shivering and shaking in the mountain breeze, like 
aspen leaves freezing with cold, the thermometer stand- 
ing, at sunrise, at 38 degrees. In the morning, two of 
tl^em descended to the camp, while the botanist, in com- 
pany with the other, coasted along by Blue Pond and 
Mount Munroe, and descended the mountain by the 
most villainous break-neck route of the Amanoosuc. God 
help the poor wight who attempts that route, as we did. 
And now, gentle reader, Heaven bless you and preserve 
your goings forth forevermore. Good day." On the 
4th of July, 1825, I think it was, but I may be mistaken 
in the exact time, although I was not concerned in the 
affair which then took place, a party from Jackson came 
up, on the other side of the Hills, and after enjoying the 
prospect as much as they chos£, and using the spirit 
which we had left there in bottles, — which I justified 
them in doing, but did not justify them in carrying away 
the bottles, which belonged to mother, — robbed the hills 
of the brass plate, my sheet lead and everything left 
there by our friends, carrying all away. The lead, I was 
told, was run into balls ; the bottles, of course, were use- 
ful ; but what use they could make of the brass, with the 
Latin inscription thereon, I am not able to say. But one 
thing I know, it discovered a thievish disposition to take 
things which did not belong to them, and could not do 






HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 79 

them any good, things which had been placed there with 
care, and was expected to remain, and would undoubt- 
edly have remained but for these mischievous persons, 
who did not understand what belonged to good manners. 
I have felt myself condemned for not prosecuting them, 
as they ought to have been chastised and dealt with in a 
manner according to their deserts. They were found out, 
and promised to return the things they had purloined ; 
and that was all they ever did about it ; but the names 
are known, and their deeds are registered. 

In August, a gentleman came from Boston, attended 
by his sister. She had made every suitable preparation 
before leaving home, and was determined to ascend the 
mountain, although she had been tried to be discouraged 
on her way, by all who knew her intentions, yet she was 
not so easily turned, she did not mean that there should 
be anything lacking in a good will. She desired Mrs. 
Crawford to go with her, and as she had been, for a long 
time, anxious to go, I consented ; and in the afternoon, 
having everything in readiness at four o'clock, we start- 
ed. We rode to the woods, and, each taking a cane, 
pursued our journey. We walked that night nearly six 
miles, and arrived at the camp in good season, with a 
tolerable prospect for the next day. Here all spent the 
night well, and early in the morning left for the mountain, 
but before we had got up fairly out of the woods, there 
came on a fog, with a thick mist of rain ; this was a 
great disappointment to us. A council was held, and we 
agreed to return to the camp, and there wait for another 
day. We accordingly descended to the camp, and spent 
the remainder of the day ; in the night it all cleared away, 



80 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

and the next morning, in good season, we were on the 
summit. How delightful ! Now the sun had risen, and 
as the rain had laid the smoke, the air was perfectly clear 
and warm, not a cloud nor a vapor to be seen. We could 
look in every direction and view the works of nature as 
they lay spread before us ; could see towns and villages 
in the distance, and so clear was the atmosphere, that we 
could distinguish one house from another ; but should I 
attempt to describe the scenery, my pen would fail for 
want of language to express my ideas of the grandeur of 
the place. The butterfly was here, busily employed like 
ourselves, but, perhaps, not in the same way. I have 
here seen, seemingly, being a mile in the air and a mile 
above vegetation, squirrels and mice, near the top of this 
hill, and large flocks of ravens, ducks, pigeons, robins and 
various other birds, fly over and around ; a flying squir- 
rel was once caught here, and also a rabbit ; partridges 
are found in the vicinity, and insects of various kinds. 
After staying a sufficient length of time, we all started 
for home. Mrs. Crawford went and returned without 
any assistance, excepting in descending what is called 
Jacob's Ladder, where I assisted her a short distance. 
We arrived at the camp, and taking some refreshment, 
proceeded home, where we arrived about six o'clock. 
The ladies considered themselves richly paid for their 
trouble and fatigue, walking nearly eighteen miles. This 
was the second party of ladies which ascended the moun- 
tains ; never after this did we persuade ladies to follow 
their example, but discouraged them whenever we could, 
endeavoring to prevent them from attempting it, as we 
thought it too much of an undertaking; but when they 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.' 81 

became decided and must go, we did all we could to as- 
sist them. 

The appended extract gives a description of the tour : 
" The weather was tolerably clear, many clouds floating 
about, but not so as to obscure the sun. The wind blow- 
ing keen and very strong, prevented our stay longer 
than half an hour, on the top. The view, of course, is 
very extensive, and presents a great sameness on every 
side ; barren and bleak, innumerable hills, many ponds, 
and the Green Mountains may be discerned in the more 
distant view. The river Amanoosuc presents one of the 
most pleasing objects, in its descent from Blue Pond, 
forming a sheet of silver down the mountain, and wind- 
ing its serpentined course in the valley. This, contrasted 
with the deep shade of the pines and other trees, in some 
degree, relieves the eye. Several small streams uniting 
their waters with this river, soon make a sufficient body 
for trout lishing, many trout of a small size being caught 
in it. The weather improved on our descent, and after 
amusing ourselves to our notice, we returned about six 
o'clock, took supper and again rested all night in the 
camp, and the next morning arrived at Mr. Crawford's 
to breakfast. " 

I will omit making any more extracts, but will insert 
fragments of the remaining album, (much being lost,) 
and return to what transpired at home, according to my 
own knowledge. The following is transcribed from the 
album, being written there in the handwriting of Dr. 
Park : "August 27, 1825, John Park, Mrs. Park, Louisa 
Jane Park, John C. Park and Mary Ann Park, of Bos- 
ton, Mass., arrived at Mr. Crawford's, with the intention 
4* 



82 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

of ascending Mount Washington. Unfortunately for us, 
Mr. Crawford had left home a few hours before we ar- 
rived, for Lancaster, and was not expected to return un- 
til the evening of the next day. Being limited as to 
time, and the mountains appearing clear, except a little 
bluish smoke, we determined to proceed on our visit. On 
the 28th, at two o'clock p.m., we set out, with a young 
man for our guide, (Mr. William Howe) ; took the car- 
riage down to the field about a mile and a half from the 
house, where we were to enter the woods. 

" In justice to Mrs. Crawford, I must here mention, that 
beside all her civilities, she added the very friendly of- 
fer to attend the ladies to the top of the mountain, and 
expressed the most kind anxiety for them. After a walk 
not very fatiguing, and, to us, in many parts, romantic 
and pleasant, we arrived at the camp twenty minutes be- 
fore seven. Here Mr. Howe made us a roaring fire, pre- 
pared us supper, and all of us, sachems and squaws, be- 
took ourselves to the apartment alloted to us. About 
midnight it began to rain furiously, but as the clouds 
came from the west we were still in hopes of a clear day. 
In the morning clouds flying thick, but as blue sky Avas 
occasionally visible, we concluded to ascend, and, after 
breakfast, took our departure from the camp, ten minutes 
past seven, on the morning of the 29th. Hitherto the 
path had been on a general but moderate ascent. The 
camp is on the Amanoosuc, and on quitting it, we began 
immediately to ascend the steep, here making an angle of 
45 degrees. To be particular would be tedious. The task 
is excessively laborious ; for ladies, though not impractic- 
able, it is too severe. Having been joined at the camp 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 83 

by our driver, Batchelder, each lady had an assistant, and 
though after passing the woods and bushy region, the 
wind became very fresh, we all continued to ascend, 
scrambling over the cliffs for some time. At last, ex- 
hausted by fatigue, and coming to a shelf of rocks which 
appeared more than usual steep and difficult, Mrs. Park 
and my daughter Mary Ann, concluded it impossible to 
proceed. Unpleasant as it was to separate so near the 
summit, for we were now within three quarters of a mile 
from the apex, we saw no other plan ; and, lodging Mrs. 
Park and Mary Ann in a cleft between large rocks, 
where they would be in some degree sheltered from the 
wind, we proceeded, my daughter Louisa Jane, having 
Mr. Howe to support her on one side and Batchelder on 
the other. It was a desperate business ; the wind grew 
more violent every step we ascended, and the fog or 
cloud which enveloped us was wet as rain. At twenty- 
five minutes past ten, we reached the top, in the midst 
of a dismal hurricane — no prospect — but certainly our 
situation partook much of the sublime, from our known 
elevation, the desolation around us and the horrors of 
the tempest. 

" I have experienced gales in the Gulf Stream, tempests 
off Cape Hatteras, tornadoes in the West Indies, and 
been surrounded by water spouts in the Gulf of Mexico, 
but I never saw anything more furious or more dreadful 
than this. I staid on the top but five minutes, anxious 
for those whom we had left. In less than half of an 
hour, I found them safe, though cold and anxious. The 
rest of our party soon arrived, and taking a little refresh- 
ment, we began to descend together.- Soon after we left 



84 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

the regions of barrenness and desolation and entered the 
woods, we were met by Mr. Crawford himself, who had 
kindly come out to see what might be our situation. We 
arrived safe and well at the encampment, at fifteen min- 
utes after one, took a little refreshment, and continued 
our return to Mr. Crawford's, where we arrived precisely 
at six o'clock, p.m., having been absent about twenty- 
eight hours. 

s " Gentlemen, there is nothing in the ascent of Mount 
Washington that you need dread. Ladies, give up all 
thoughts of it ; but if you are resolved, let the season be 
mild, consult Mr. Crawford as to the prospects of the 
weather, and with every precaution, you will still find 
itj/br you, a tremendous undertaking. 

" Though we were disappointed after all we had read 
and heard, in not having Mr. Crawford for our guide, yet 
we had no reason to complain. Mr. Howe, who conduct- 
ed us, will be found a faithful and obliging young man. 
Of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford's kindness and attention, dur- 
ing our short stay here, we have ample reason to join in 
the common report of all travelers " 



CHAPTER VIII. 

In September, the same year, a small party of gentle- 
men and three ladies came to visit the mountains, and I 
went with them. We staid at the camp over night ; 
next day we went up the hill and back again to the 
camp, with little trouble or fatigue. After this, when 
walking on a more level way, one of the ladies became 
lame in her ankles, and it was with difficulty she could 
walk. I then took off the bundle of clothes from my 
back and made a good cushion of them, and placed them 
on my right shoulder, took my hat in my left hand ; the 
gentlemen then sat her upon my right shoulder, and I 
brought her some miles in this way quite well. I have 
brought gentlemen along in a similar way, when they 
thought they could go no further. 

The following is another extract from the album: 
" When we started in the morning, we were fearful of 
rain, but the weather was good and the temperature of 
the air comparatively warm on the summit. Our pros- 
pect but ill repaid us the fatigue of ascending, as the at- 
mosphere was smoky. After remaining on the summit 
for more than an hour, and singing Old Hundred, in 
which the whole party joined, at half past eleven o'clock, 
we began to descend, and reached the camp in two hours 
and a half. Here the party rested and refreshed about 
an hour ; left the camp and arrived at Mr. Crawford's at 
seven o'clock in the evening. As the ladies of our party 

85 



86 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

make a third of the number who have reached the sum- 
mit of Mount Washington, something may be expected 
to be said of them and of the practicability of the ascent 
for ladies. • Miss Harriet C. Woodward performed the 
ascent and descent of the mountain and the walk from 
the camp to Mr. Crawford's, with much less fatigue than 
could have been expected. Miss Lawrence suffered a 
little more. Miss Elizabeth Woodward supported the 
ascent and descent to the camp tolerably well, but be- 
came excessively fatigued and lame during the return 
walk from the camp to Mr. Crawford's, and had it not 
been for the kind and humane attention and assistance 
of Mr. C, which we here record with much gratitude, 
would scarcely have been able to have reached Mr. C.'s, 
In conclusion, could ladies be carried and find a little 
more comfortable accommodations on the mountains, the 
ascent of Mount Washington even, would be a compara- 
tively easy achievement. As it is, ladies, do not attempt 
it ; at least, never but in fair weather. Of Mr. Craw- 
ford's kindness and humanity nothing need be said ; all 
who visit the mountain will be satisfied with it. " 

Getting tired of carrying blankets every time we went 
up this mountain, and not being able to leave them in 
safety on account of the mice and squirrels, for they 
would make holes in them, unless we hung them on a 
tree, and then they were exposed to the weather, some- 
time in the forepart of the summer, I bought a sufficient 
quantity of sheet-iron and made a chest that would hold 
ten bushels, apparently large enough for the man who 
carried it to lie down and rest himself in. This we 
placed at the camp and there made a deposit for all 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 87 

things that might be left there. We had eleven blank- 
ets, and cooking utensils for cooking a good warm meal, 
and would frequently add to the variety, by a dish of 
trout, which could be caught but a few rods from the 
camp. These I could cook to a charm, much better than 
an old experienced cook in a city hotel could, — at least, 
they tasted much better here than there. I had plenty 
of good salt pork to cook them with, and that is the very 
thing that gives them a relish ; and fatigue w r ould never 
fail of giving us good appetites. Afterward I made my 
tea, and then could drink it in clean fresh-washed cups. 
I had here every convenience for doing all this work. I 
was presented with a box of tin-ware of a superior qual- 
ity, from the before mentioned botanist, containing an 
apparatus sufficient for a number to eat and drink with 
together ; and on the corner of the iron chest, I would 
sometimes put birch bark from a tree and spread it as a 
substitute for a cloth, and in this way I have enjoyed 
many a good meal with my friends. 

We had two camps built and they stood facing each 
other, and there* was a good fire in the middle. The 
wood we cut from six to eight feet in length and rolled 
it together, any way or size we could manage, and when 
one pile burnt out, we would put another on, and thus 
kept a good fire through the night. One camp was for 
ladies and the other for gentlemen. For beds we took a 
large quantity of spruce and hemlock boughs and laid 
them down, spread our blankets upon them, and this 
would make a healthy bed. To secure the ladies, Ave 
would make a blanket curtain in front of their camp, 
and they were entirely by themselves. Now the until- 



88 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

ing mosquito would sing to us constantly and every now 
and then would stop and taste a little. 

I never knew a single person that ever took cold from 
these wild excursions. We frequently received letters 
from invalids saying their healths were much improved 
by this visit with us. 

Now we were in trouble again, there being a complaint 
for want of a shed and more stable room. The winter 
of 1826 was at hand with a great deal to do. After hav- 
ing done other necessary business, I went to hauling 
boards and shingles from the same short distance of 
twelve miles only, up through the Notch. My father 
had put him up a new saw-mill, and I could get boards 
from there now better than from anywhere else, but it 
was some trouble to draw them up the Notch hills. 
Some perhaps think this a heavy job, but when a thing 
is undertaken in good earnest, it is soon over ; so with 
this job. In the spring I hired men and went to work 
and soon had timber prepared for a stable sixty feet by 
forty, and a shed to stand between the old stable and 
the new one, fifty feet by forty, which accommodated 
both stables, and the whole length of these buildings was 
nearly one hundred and fifty feet, in a straight line, fac- 
ing the road. The outside of these buildings was nearly 
finished, when a stop was put to all business in conse- 
quence of the great rain, which you will soon find re- 
corded. 

In June, as my father with a number of men was at 
work repairing the turnpike road through the Notch, 
there came on a heavy rain, and they were obliged to 
leave their work and retire to the house, then occupied 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 89 

by the worthy Willey family, and it rained very hard. 
While there they saw on the west side of the road a 
small movement of rocks and earth coming down the hill, 
and it took all before it. They saw, likewise, whole trees 
coming down, standing upright, for ten rods together, 
before they would tip over, — the whole still moving 
slowly on, making its way until it had crossed the road, 
and then on a level surface some distance before it 
stopped. This grand and awful sight frightened the 
timid family very much, and Mrs. Willey proposed to 
have the horses harnessed and go to my father's, but the 
old gentleman told her not to be alarmed, as he said 
they were much safer there than they would be in the 
road ; for, said he, there may be other difficulties in the 
way, like the one just described, or the swollen waters 
may have carried away some of the bridges, and they 
could not be crossed ; and after some reasoning with her 
in this way she was pacified and remained safely. The 
next day, as the storm had abated, they set about re- 
moving the burden from the road, which required much 
trouble and labor. This seemed to be a warning and it 
appeared so to them. Mr. Willey had looked round and 
about the mountains and tried to find out a safer place 
than the one they then occupied ; and, having satisfied 
himself, as he thought, placed a good tight cart-body in 
such a manner as would secure them from the weather 
in case a similar thing should occur, as visitors had ad- 
vised them to leave the place, as they were anxious for 
their safety ; and he, it appeared, was fearful, or he 
would not have made this effort. Bat there is an over- 
ruling God who knows all things and causes all things to 



90 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

happen for the best, although we short-sighted mortals 
cannot comprehend them. Had they taken the advice of 
St. Paul and all abode in the ship, they might have been 
saved ; but this was not to be their case, — they were suf- 
fered to perish. 

August 26th, there came a party from the West to as- 
cend the mountain, but as the wind had been blowing 
from the south for several days, I advised them not to go 
that afternoon, but they said their time was limited and 
they must proceed. Everything necessary for the expe- 
dition being put in readiness, we all, like so many good 
soldiers, with our staves in our hands, set forward at six 
o'clock and arrived at the camp at ten o'clock ; and I 
with my knife and flint struck fire, which caught in a 
piece of dry punk, which I carried for that purpose, and 
from that I could make a large fire. This was the only 
way we had in those days of obtaining fire. After my 
performing the duties of a cook and house maid, we sat 
down in the humble situation of Indians, not having the 
convenience of chairs, and told stories till the time for 
rest. The wind still continued to blow from the south. 
In the morning, about four o'clock, it commenced rain- 
ing, which prevented their hopes of ascending the moun- 
tain that day, and not having provisions for another day, 
and they being unwilling now to give it up, when they 
had got so near, a meeting was called and it was unani- 
mously agreed that I should go home and get new sup- 
plies and then return to them again. I obeyed their 
commands, shouldered my empty pack, took my leave of 
them and returned ; but, as the rain was falling so fast, 
and the mud collected about my feet, my progress was 



HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 91 

slow and wearisome. I at length got home, and being 
tired and my brother Thqpaas being there, I desired him 
to take my place, which he cheerfully consented to do, 
and in a short time, he was laden and set forward ; and 
when arriving at the camp, the party was holding a coun- 
cil as to what was to be done, for the rain had fallen so 
fast and steadily that it had entirely extinguished the 
fire. They consulted Thomas upon the matter to know 
if they had time to get in. He told them that to remain 
there would be very unpleasant, as they must suffer with 
the wet and cold, not considering danger, but if they 
would go as fast as they could, they might reach the 
house. Each taking a little refreshment in his hands, 
and having the precaution to take the axe with them, set 
off in full speed, and when they came to a swollen stream 
which they could not ford, Thomas would, with his axe, 
fell a tree for a bridge, and then they would walk over. 
They got along tolerably well until they came to a large 
branch, which came from the Notch. This was full and 
raging, and they had some difficulty to find a tree that 
would reach to the opposite bank, but at length suc- 
ceeded in finding one, and they all got safely over, and 
those who could not walk, crawled along, holding on by 
the limbs ; and when they came to the main stream, the 
water had risen and come into the road for several rods, 
and when they crossed the bridge it trembled under their 
feet. They all arrived in safety about eight o'clock in 
the evening, when they were welcomed by two large 
fires to dry themselves. Here they took off their wet 
garments, and those that had not a change of their own 
put on mine and went to bed, while we set up to dry 



92 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

theirs. At eleven o'clock we had a clearing up shower, 
and it seemed as though the windows of heaven were 
opened and the rain came down almost in streams. It 
did not, however, last long before it all cleared away and 
became a perfect calm. The next morning we were 
awakened by Our little boy coining into the room, and 
saying, " Father, the earth is nearly covered with water, 
and the hogs are swimming for life. " I arose immedi- 
ately and went to 'their rescue. I waded into the water 
and pulled away the fence, and they swam to land. 
What a sight! The sun rose clear; not a cloud nor a 
vapor was to be seen ; all was still and silent, excepting 
the rushing sound of the water, as it poured down the 
hills. The whole interval was covered with water a 
distance of over two hundred acres of land, to be seen 
when standing on the little hill which has been named 
and called Giant's Grave, just back of the stable, where 
the house used to stand that was burnt. After standing 
here a short time, I saw the fog arise in different places 
on the water, and it formed a beautiful sight. The 
bridge which had so lately been crossed, had come down 
and taken with it ninety feet of shed which was attached 
to the barn that escaped the fire in 1818. Fourteen 
sheep that were under it were drowned, and those which 
escaped looked as though they had been washed in a 
mud puddle. The water came within eighteen inches of 
the door in the house and a strong current was running 
between the house and stable. It came up under the 
shed and underneath the new stable, and carried away 
timber and wood, passed by the west corner of the 
house and moved a wagon which stood in its course. 






HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 93 

Now the safety of my father and of the Willcy 
family occupied our minds, but there was no way 
to find out their situation. At or near the middle 
of the day (Tuesday $f there came a traveler on foot 
who was desirous of going down the Notch that night, 
as he said his business was urgent, and he must, if 
j)ossible, go through. I told him to be patient, as the 
water was then falling fast, and as soon as it should fall 
and I could swim a horse, I would carry him over the 
river. Owins: to the narrowness of the intervals be- 
tween the mountains here, when it begins to fall it soon 
drains away, and at four o'clock I mounted a large 
strong horse, took the traveler on behind, swam the riv- 
er, and landed him safely on the other side and returned. 
He made the best of his way down to the Notch house 
and arrived there just before dark. He found the house 
deserted by every living creature, excepting the faithful 
dog, and he was unwilling at first to admit the stranger. 
He at length became friendly and acquainted. On going 
to the barn he found it had been touched by an ava- 
lanche and fallen in. The two horses that were in it 
were both killed, and the oxen confined under the broken 
timber tied in their stalls. These he set at liberty after 
finding an axe and cutting away the timber ; they were 
lame, but soon got over it. What must have been the 
feelings of this lonely traveler while occupying this de- 
serted house, finding doors opened and bed and clothes 
as though they had been left in a hurry, bible open and 
lying on the table as if it had lately been read? He 
went round the house, and prepared for himself a sup- 
per, and partook of it alone, except the company of the 



94 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

clog, who seemed hungry like himself ; then quietly Iny 
down in one of these open deserted beds, and consoled 
himself by thinking the family had made their escape 
and gone down to my father's. Early the next morning 
he proceeded on his way and he had some difficulty in 
getting across some places, as the earth and water were 
mixed together and made a complete quagmire. He suc- 
ceeded in getting to father's, but could obtain no infor- 
mation of the unfortunate family. He told this story as 
he went down through Bartlett and Conway, and the 
news soon spread. 

On Wednesday the waters had subsided so much that 
we could ford the Amanoosuc river with a horse and 
wagon, and some of the time limited party agreed to try 
the ground over again ; so they, with the addition of 
another small party who came from the West on Tues- 
day, with Thomas for guide, again set out, while I, with 
a gentleman from Connecticut, went toward the Notch. 
After traveling a distance of two miles in a wagon, we 
were obliged to leave it and take to our feet. We now 
found the road in some places entirely demolished, and 
seemingly, on a level surface; a crossway which had 
been laid down for many years and firmly covered with 
dirt, — that to the eye of human reason it would be im- 
possible to move, — taken up, and every log had been dis- 
turbed and laid in different directions. On going still 
a little further, we found a gulf in the middle of the 
road, in some places ten feet deep, and twenty rods in 
length. The rest of the road, my pen would fail should 
I attenrpt to describe it ; suffice it to say, I could hardly 
believe my own eyes, the water having made such de- 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 95 

struction. Now, when within a short distance of the 
house, I found the cows with their bags filled with milk, 
and from their appearance, they had not been milked for 
some days. My heart sickened as I thought what had 
happened to the inmates of the house. We went in and 
there found no living person, and the house in the situa- 
tion just described. I was going down to my father's to 
seek them out, but the gentleman with me would not let 
me go, for he said he could not find his way back alone, 
and I must return with him. We set out and arrived 
home at four o'clock in the afternoon. 

I could not be satisfied about the absent family, and 
again returned, and when I got back to the house found 
a number of the neighbors had assembled and no infor- 
mation concerning them could be obtained. My feelings 
were such that I could not remain there during the 
night, although a younger brother of mine, being one of 
the company, almost laid violent hands upon me to com- 
pel me to stay, fearing some accident might befall me, as 
I should have to feel my way through the Notch on my 
hands and knees, for the water had in the narrowest 
place in the Notch taken out the rocks which had been 
beat in from the ledge above to make the road, and car- 
ried them into the gulf below, and made a hole or gulf 
twenty feet deep, and it was difficult, if not dangerous, 
to get through in the night, as all those who visited this 
scene of desolation will bear testimony to ; but my mind 
was fixed and unchangeable, and I would not be pre- 
vailed on to stay. I started and groped my way home 
in the dark, where I arrived at ten o'clock in the even- 
ing. Here I found that the party from the mountain 



96 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

had arrived ; as they had nowhere to stay, they were 
obliged to come in that night. Now we began to relate 
our discoveries. They had much difficulty in finding 
their way, as the water had made as bad work with their 
path as it had done with the road, in proportion to its 
length. The water had risen and carried away every 
particle of the camp and all my furniture there. The 
party seemed thankful that they, on Monday, had made 
their escape. What must have been their fortune had 
they remained there ? They must have shared the same 
fate the Willey family did, or suffered a great deal with 
fear, wet, cold and hunger, for it would have been im- 
possible for them to have come in until Wednesday, and 
their provisions must have been all gone, if not lost, on 
Monday night. It seemed really a providential thing in 
their being saved. No part of the iron chest was ever 
found, or anything it contained, excepting a few pieces 
of blanket that were caught on bushes in different places 
down the river. 

The next morning our friends, with gratitude left us ; 
and we had the same grateful feelings toward them, 
wishing each other good luck. 

The same day (Thursday) before I had time to look 
about me and learn the situation of my farm, and esti- 
mate the loss I had sustained, the friends of the Willey 
family had come up to the deserted house and sent for 
me. At first I said I could not go down, but being ad- 
vised to, I went. When I got there, on seeing the 
friends of that well-beloved family, and having been ac- 
quainted with them for many years, my heart was full 
and my tongue refused utterance, and I could not for a 






HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 97 

considerable length of time speak to one of them, and 
could only express the regard I had for them in pressing 
their hands and giving full vent to my tears. This was 
the second time my eyes were wet with tears since 
grown to manhood. The other time was when my fam- 
ily was in that destitute situation. Diligent search 
being made for them, and no traces to be found until 
night, the attention of the people was attracted by the 
flies, as they were passing and repassing underneath a 
large pile of floodwood. They now began to haul away 
the rubbish, and at length found Mr. and Mrs. Willey, 
Mr. Allen, the hired man, and the youngest child not far 
distant from each other. These were taken up, broken 
and mangled, as must naturally be expected, and were 
placed in coffins. The next day they were interred, on 
a piece of ground near the house, there to remain until 
winter. Saturday, the other hired man was found and 
interred, and on Sunday, the eldest daughter was found, 
some way from where the others were, across the river ; 
and it was said her countenance was fair and pleasant, 
not a bruise or a mark was discovered upon her. It was 
supposed she was drowned. She had only a handker- 
chief around her waist, supposed to have been put there 
for some one to lead her by. This girl was not far from 
twelve years of age. She had acquired a good educa- 
tion, considering her advantages, and she seemed more 
like a gentleman's, daughter, of fashion and affluence, 
than the daughter of one who had located himself in the 
midst of the mountains. It is said the earliest flowers 
are the soonest plucked, and this seems to be the case 
with this young, interesting family; the rest of the 
6 



98 HISTOKY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

children were not inferior to the eldest, considering 
their age. In this singular act of Providence, there 
were nine taken from time into eternity, four adult per- 
sons and five children. It should remind us, we who 
are living, to "be also ready, for in such an hour as ye 
think not, the Son of Man cometh." It was a providen- 
tial thing, said Zara Cutler, Esq., who was present af- 
terward, that the house itself was saved, so near came 
the overwhelming avalanche. The length of the slides 
are several miles down the side of the mountain. The 
other three children, one daughter and two sons, have 
never to this day been found ; not even a bone has ever 
been picked up or discovered. It is supposed they must 
have been buried deep underneath an avalanche. 

Mr. and Mrs. Willey sustained good and respectable 
characters, and were in good standing among the chris- 
tians in Conway, where they belonged. They were re- 
markable for their charities and kindness toward others, 
and commanded the respect of travelers and all who 
knew them. Much more could be said in their favor, 
but it would be superfluous to add. Suffice it to remark 
that the whole intention of their lives was to live humbly, 
walk uprightly, deal justly with all, speak evil of none. 

There came a large slide down back of the house in a 
direction to take the house with it, and when within ten 
or fifteen rods of the house it came against a solid ledge 
of rock and there stopped and separated, one on either 
side of the house, taking the stable on one side, and the 
family on the other, or they might have got to the ren- 
dezvous ; but there is no certainty which of these divis- 
ions overtook them, as they were buried partly by the 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 99 

three slides which had come together eighty rods from 
the house ; the two that separated back of the house here 
met, and a still larger one had come down in the place 
where Mr. Willey had hunted out a safe refuge. When 
the slide was coming down and separating, it had great 
quantities of timber with it. One log, six feet long and 
two feet through, still kept its course, and came within 
three feet of the house, but fortunately it was stopped 
by coming against a brick, where it rested ; the ends of 
trees were torn up, and looked similar to an old peeled 
birch broom. The whole valley, which was once covered 
with beautiful green grass, was now a complete quag- 
mire, exhibiting nothing but ruins of the mountains, 
heaps of timber, large rocks, sand and gravel. All was 
dismal and desolate. For a monument, I wrote with a 
piece of red chalk, on a planed board, this inscription : 

THE FAMILY FOUND HERE. 

I nailed it to a dead tree, which was standing near the 
place where they were found ; but it has since been taken 
away by some of the occupants of the house and used for 
fuel. 

But to return to my own affairs at home. Fences 
mostly gone, farm in some places covered so deeply with 
sand and gravel that it was ruined, and, on the interval, 
floodwood was piled in great and immense quantities, in 
different j)laces all over it. The bridge now lay in pieces 
all around the meadow, and the shed also ; there was a 
large field of oats, just ready to harvest, from which I 
think I would have had four or six hundred bushels, 
which was destroyed j also, some hay in the field. My 



100 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

actual loss at this time was more than one thousand dol- 
lars, and truly things looked rather unfavorable. After 
the fire, we had worked hard and economized closely to 
live and j>ay our former dues, in which we made slow 
progress. As it was necessary for the benefit of the pub- 
lic, to buy so many things, which we could not get along 
without, I could do but little toward taking up my old 
notes, but still I must persevere, and keep doing while 
the day lasted, and I thought no man would be punished 
for being unfortunate. Therefore, taking these things 
into consideration, I would still continue to do the best 
I could and trust the event. My father suffered still 
more than myself. The best part of his farm was en- 
tirely destroyed. A new saw mill which he had just 
put up, and a great number of logs and boards, were 
swept away together into the sand ; fences on the inter- 
val were all gone ; twenty-eight sheep were drowned 
and considerable grain which was in the field was swept 
away. The water rose on the outside of the house 
twenty-two inches, and ran through the whole house on 
the lower floors, and swept out the coals and ashes from 
the fire place. They had lighted candles which were 
placed in the windows, and my mother took down a 
pole which she used as a clothes pole, and stood at a 
window near the corner of the house, when the current 
run swift, and would push away the timber and other 
stuff that came down against the house, to keep it from 
collecting in a great body, as she thought it might jam 
up and sweep away the house, for the water was rising 
fast. And while thus engaged, she was distressed by 
the cries of the poor bleating and drowning sheep that 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 101 

would pass by in the flood, and seemed to cry for help, 
but none could be afforded. 

My father at this time was from home, and but few of 
the family were there, so they made the best they could 
of it. This came on so suddenly and unexpectedly that 
almost everything in the cellar was ruined, and a part of 
the wall fell in. 

This loss of my father's property, which he had accu- 
mulated only by the sweat of his brow, was so great that 
he will never be likely to regain it. Many suffered 
more or less who lived on this wild and uncultivated 
stream, as far as Saco. 

We had now a difficulty which seemed almost insur- 
mountable. The road in many places was entirely gone ; 
the bridges, the whole length of the turnpike, excepting 
two, a distance of seventeen miles, gone ; the directors 
came and looked at it, and found it would take a large 
sum to repair it. The good people of Portland, how- 
ever, to encourage us, raised fifteen hundred dollars to 
help us with; it was put into the hands of Nathan Kins- 
man, Esq., to see it well laid out. The directors voted 
to raise an assessment on the shares, to make up the 
balance ; and that, with some other assistance, was di- 
vided into jobs and let out, and we all went to work ; 
and, as it was said, the sun shone so short a time in this 
Notch, that the hardy New Hampshire boys made up 
their hours by moonlight. 



CHAPTER IX. 

We got along much better with this work than we ex- 
pected. We were favored with good weather, and had a 
decent sleigh path for the winter. This great and won- 
derful catastrophe, which happened among the mountains, 
caused a great many to visit the place that fall. Among 
others there came two gentlemen for the purpose of go- 
ing up to the mountain and visiting the slides, to ascertain 
the qualities of naked mountains, as they were in search 
of minerals. We found on the west side of Mount 
Pleasant, the largest slide; it appeared one thousand 
acres in dimension had slid off and rested in the valley 
below. We wandered about, looking at the wonderful 
works of God, until night overtook us, and then on a 
ridge of the hill, near the Amanoosuc, by the side of a 
large pile of floodwood, I built a camp, or wigwam, which 
was sufficiently large for us then. I cut my wood, struck 
a fire, and we each took our blanket and retired to rest. 
As might be expected, the night at this season of the 
year, was long and cold; a thick mist of rain came on, 
and our quarters being small, they complained of the cold 
and want of room. I arose, renewed my fire, and spread 
my blanket on them, and retired, myself, to a thick fir 
tree, under whose boughs'l took shelter, and soon fell 
asleep ; being very tired, and now having plenty of room, 
and feeling my companions were more comfortable, I 
slept till morning. When I returned to my companions 
102 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 103 

they were glad to see the light of another day. I have 
been over and around the mountains in almost every di- 
reetion with botanists and with mineralogists. I hava 
been up and down all the slides of any magnitude, and 
have taken pains to find out if there were any minerals of 
value there, but have never as .yet found any of conse- 
quence. 

It has been supposed by some that there were valuable 
mines somewhere about the mountains. I have searched 
for these also, but found none. I recollect a number of 
years ago, when quite a boy, some persons had been up 
on the hills and said they had found a golden treasure, or 
carbuncle, which they said was under a large shelving 
rock, and would be difficult to obtain, for they might fall 
and be dashed to pieces. Moreover, they thought it was 
guarded by an evil spirit, supposing that it had been 
placed there by the Indians, and that they had killed one 
of their number and left him to guard the treasure, 
which some credulous, superstitious persons believed, 
and they got my father to engage to go and search for it. 
Providing themselves with everything necessary for the 
business and a sufficient number of good men and a min- 
ister well qualified to lay the evil spirit, they set out in 
good earnest and high spirits, anticipating with pleasure 
how rich they should be in coming home laden with gold ; 
that is, if they should have the good luck to find it. 
They set out and went up Dry river, and had hard work 
to find their way through the thickets and over the hills, 
where they made diligent search for a number of days, 
with some of the former men spoken of for guides, but 
they could not find the place again, or anything that 



104 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

seemed to be like it, and worn out with fatigue and dis- 
appointment, they returned. Never since, to mj knowl- 
edge, has any one found that wonderful place again, or 
been troubled with the mountain spirit. 

I have heard it said by the people of Portsmouth, that 
when children were. at play and happened to fall out with 
each other, the worst punishment they could inflict upon 
their mates was to wish them up at the White Hills, as 
that was considered the worst place in the world by 
them. Perhaps their minds had been affected by the 
story of Nancy, who perished in the woods in attempting 
to follow her lover. She had been at work in Jefferson 
for Colonel Whipple, when the heart of this honest girl 
was won by a servant of his ; as he was going in the 
fall to Portsmouth, he promised to take her along with 
him, and after they should arrive there, he would make 
her his wife. She was honest herself and thought him to 
be also, and as he had contrived every means to please 
her in all the domestic concerns in which they were en- 
gaged, while under the control of the Colonel, she had 
entrusted him with her money, which had been paid her 
for her labor, and went to Lancaster to make preparations 
for the intended journey. While she was preparing, her 
lover went away with the Colonel and left her behind. 
She was immediately informed of his treachery, and was 
determined to pursue him. There had been a deep snow 
and there was no road, nothing but spotted trees, beside 
the tracks of the Colonel and her false lover to follow. 
When she arrived at Jefferson she was wet with snow 
which had collected upon her clothes, and was wearied. 
The men that were there tried to persuade her not to go 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 105 

any further, setting forth the many difficulties she would 
have to encounter, and likewise the danger she would be 
exposed to in such an undertaking, through a howling 
wilderness of thirty miles, without fire or food. All 
these entreaties did not move her, or alter her determi- 
nation ; for such was her love either for the man upon 
whom she had placed her affections, or the money she 
had placed in his hands, that she was inflexible. Having 
a great opinion of her own ability, in her imagination she 
thought, as they had only been gone some hours, and 
would probably go no further than the Notch that 
night, probably camping there, she might, by traveling 
all night, overtake them before they started in the morn- 
ing. In this she was disappointed ; they had left 
before she arrived ; but from every appearance the fire 
had not gone out. It may be inquired how it was known 
that the fire had not gone out there? When a fire is 
made in the woods, it is made of very large wood, cut 
and rolled together, and then left to burn, as was evi- 
dently the case here, and there will be brands left at each 
end of the fire. These brands she had put together, and 
they burnt out, as the ashes plainly showed for themselves 
when the men found them. She was tired and worn out 
with fatigue and hunger, having taken nothing with her 
to eat on the way. Yet her passion was not abated, and 
she still persevered, thinking she should overtake them. 
She went on and got a distance of tw'enty-two miles, 
when the men thinking she was in earnest, followed her. 
When she set off in the afternoon, they thought she 
would not go far before she would come back, and they 
waited until late in the evening, expecting every moment 
5* 



106 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

to hear the sound of her footsteps at the door ; but in 
vain did they imagine this. They j^ressed on and found 
the fire in the situation just described, which made them 
think she found fire to warm her benumbed limbs. Here 
they rested only a short time and then proceeded and 
found her just after crossing a brook, in a sitting posi- 
tion, with her clothes frozen upon her, having wet them 
while crossing the brook, and her head was resting on 
her hand and cane which had been her support through 
the woods, and she was frozen to death. 

This place is near my father's, and has ever since, 
from that circumstance, borne the name of Nancy's 
Brook, and Nancy's Hill. 

"Now in this volume let me build a tomb 
For Nancy, love's sweet victim, in her bloom. 
Her tragic end, though awful to relate, 
Shows how true love controls a woman's fate ! 
Oh ! had she early given her heart to God, 
Perhaps she had not felt the chastening rod. 
But let us trust her sins are all forgiven, 
And with her Savior, that she rests in Heaven." 

J. C. N. I. 

The reader would perhaps like to know what became 
of her lover. Shortly after hearing of this, his own con- 
science was smitten and he became frantic and insane, 
and was put into the hospital, where he in a few months 
after died in a most horrible condition. This is a true 
story,. as I have heard it told by those who were know- 
ing to the facts, as related in the above statement. 



CHAPTER X. 

October 14th, there came a gentleman from Germany 
to ascend the mountains. I provided him with a good 
guide, and they set out early in the morning, knowing 
they must return that evening, as there was no place for 
them to stay on their way over night. I waited for 
their return until nine o'clock in the evening, feel- 
ing anxious for them, fearing they might be lost, as 
there had come down in the flood a large quantity of 
timber and filled up the path, so that it was difficult 
finding it, not far from the entrance of the woods. I 
did not know but they might be lost in this place, as it 
would be dark before they could arrive there, and well 
knowing the night must be long, cold and tedious, in 
their destitute situation, I took a lantern and my long 
tin horn, mounted a horse and proceeded to the woods, 
where I alighted and then commenced blowing the horn, 
which was soon answered by the guide. I took my 
lio-ht and steered toward the sound of his voice ; there 
I found them completely lost, not more than a quarter 
of a mile from the open ground. When they came there 
it was dark, and though the guide had been there many 
times before, and knew the way well, yet the darkness 
bewildered him so much that it was in vain he tried to 
get out, and when satisfied he could not, he groped his 
way about in the dark, and had broken some boughs to 
lie down upon, without a blanket, and no other cover- 

107 



108 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

ing than the canopy of heaven to cover them. Desti- 
tute of food, and not having the means of making a 
fire, they had made up their minds to spend the night 
in this uncomfortable situation, when the joyful sound 
of the horn caught their ears. I soon put them in a way 
to get liberated from this place, and when they came to 
the horse, I helped the gentleman on his back, and then 
we all came home ; and a more grateful man than this I 
scarce ever saw. When arrived at the house, and find- 
ing his situation changed from that cold and lonesome 
one to a good warm fire and supper, and the expectation 
of a good bed, it almost overcame him. 

The winter of 1827 I spent much like the former win- 
ter seasons ; buying and laying in a still larger share of 
provisions than usual, for the benefit of those who 
should need them while at work on the road, and for the 
purpose of assisting the weary traveler through the deep 
snows, and over our rough roads. 

In the spring I went to work on my mountain road, as 
soon as the ground would permit, and I made a road 
suitable for a carriage a distance of one and a half miles 
into the woods. We could now ride in a carriage from 
my house, three miles, and our custom was at that time, 
to carry visitors to the end of the road, and then return 
with the carriage, and leave them to try their own 
strength from there up and back, and then we would be 
ready there on their return, to bring them home again. 
I had intended to work on this road every year, when I 
could, until I should have completed it to the foot of Mt. 
Washington. 

After reading the description given by Dr. Park, and 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 109 

the other party of ladies, shortly after their return, and 
finding their opinion was that it was not exactly fitting 
for ladies to attempt such an arduous undertaking, all 
the ladies that visited the mountain were more willing 
to give up the idea of the ascent, although they had as 
much curiosity to view and contemplate things not 
made with hands ; and still they, in general, possess an 
ambition to excell and attain to such noble and roman- 
tic acts, for some energy both of mind and body is re- 
quired to perform such an enterprise. There had never 
been but four parties of ladies up the mountain since I 
had come here to live, now ten years past, and I had 
promised the ladies that whenever I could make a road 
suitable for them to ride a part or all of the way to the 
foot of the hill, I would never, in good weather, discour- 
age them from going there, but would go with them my- 
self, and assist them wherever it was necessary. I had 
made a road to ride on part of the way, and ladies be- 
gan to take me at my word, and this summer began to 
ascend the mountain again. Whenever we had more 
company than what belonged to any particular party, I 
would furnish them with another guide, so that they 
should not be troubled or hindered in the least ; they 
might go with us or by themselves, just as the parties 
chose. I spent this summer in going up and down the 
mountain with my friends, visiting the Notch and the 
desolate Willey House, giving them as good an account 
of what took place on that memorable night of the 
second of August last and answering all their inquiries 
as promptly and correctly as my humble capacity and 
judgment would allow me to do. 



110 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

It now became needful for the benefit of the company, 
as it increased, to have an establishment at the top of 
the Notch, as many wanted to stojj there and leave their 
horses, and pursue their way down the hill on foot, to 
view the cascades as they come majestically down the 
hill and over the rocks, and form such a beautiful sil- 
very sight. The flume, likewise, that is curiously cut 
out by nature through a solid rock, the avalanches, and 
then the Willey House, etc. On their return they 
needed refreshment, and having a disposition to accom- 
modate the public, and feeling a little self-pride to have 
another Crawford settled here, to make up a road, I con- 
sulted with my father, and we agreed to build there 
and place a brother of mine in the house. We accord- 
ingly made a plan upon the best and most convenient 
construction we could invent, and, in the fall, prepared 
timber for a frame one hundred and twenty feet in 
length, and thirty-six feet in width. Just as we were 
about to raise this, the snow fell so deeply that we were 
obliged to give it up for the present time. 

I think that it was this fall that a man from Falmouth 
had been to Lancaster and bought some fat sheep and 
oxen ; he had a team of horses and a wagon, and on his 
way home as he was coming over Cherry Mountain, it 
began to snow. He arrived at my house, where he put 
up for the night, and it continued to snow until it had 
fallen two feet, and over; here he staid until it cleared 
away, and then he could not travel with his sheep, the 
snow was so deep. I then, with him, began to contrive 
means to help him along. We harnessed his horses, and 
put them to a wagon, the oxen on forward of them ; 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. Ill 

but this did not make a path sufficient for the 
sheep to go in. I then harnessed a horse and drove 
a wedge into a short, large, round log, put a chain 
around this wedge, and led my horse, and this log 
made a complete road for them to go in, single file ; 
in this way* we got along quite well down into the 
Notch, a little way, when the snow became thin, then he 
could go without my assistance. I then left my log, 
mounted my horse, and returned home, while the trav- 
eler pursued his journey, without suffering much incon- 
venience from the snow. It was no uncommon thing 
for us to have two feet of snow, while in Bartlett, they 
would not have more than two inches ; as we lived so 
high in the air, and the mountains generally attract or 
hinder the storms, we had snow, while others, who lived 
not more than twenty miles distant had rain and some- 
times sunshine ; such was the variableness of the weather 
where we then lived, still in the summer we generally 
had a good share of good and clear weather, but spring 
and fall were the times when we had most of these 
sudden changes. Uncle William says, that in former 
days, when they first went there to live, the snow would 
sometimes be ten feet deep, and he has seen the time 
when they could drive a team of oxen and horses any- 
where in the field, on the crust, over stumps and fences, 
and draw their wood home from any place they chose, 
wherever they could best get it, as this hard crust made 
a smooth surface for them to go on. Had it not been 
for this, they could not have got along where they did, 
because it was rough and stumpy, and from such little 
circumstances it seems that there is nothing made in 



112 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

vain. I have seen the snow so deep when I lived there, 
that it was difficult for men to pass each other with 
teams, when they met, until they had stamped down the 
snow, and made a path for one of them to get out, and 
then sometimes they would have to unhitch their horses 
and compel them to turn out, such was the depth of 
snow; and where there was a crust on it, it was still 
more difficult. At one time when I was coming home 
from Portland, with a loaded sleigh, when I got up as 
far as my father's it was snowing, and there I baited my 
horses ; intending to reach home that night, I went on 
as far as the Notch House, and there hired a man to 
help me up the hill, with t wo horses ; we went on part 
of the way, but the snow was so deep, that his horses 
would not work and we were obliged to leave the sleigh 
and return to the house. I had the precaution to put 
the tongue of the sleigh upward, and the next morning 
when I came to where I had left the sleigh, all that I 
could discover of it was the tongue ; this stood upright. 
The rest of it was entirely covered with the snow, and it 
was then utterly impossible for me to take it with me, 
so I there left it. A man happened to be with me, 
who had staid with me the preceding night, and was on 
his way to Vermont, with an empty single sleigh and a 
good horse. One of my horses I put on forward of his, 
and I and the other horse made a track for them to fol- 
low ; we worked hard half a day to get six miles, such 
was the quantity of snow that had fallen in a few hours. 
Other descriptions I could give similar to this, but I do 
not wish to tire the patience of the reader, with more 
than what is necessary to show the difference between 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 113 

the climate we live in, and .other climates not far from 
us, and what difficulties and hardships we had to en- 
counter in this region ; but in later years, for some cause, 
we have not had such quantities of snow, and have not 
been much troubled with its depth, but many times for 
the want of it. 

In the winter, in the beginning of the year 1828, we 
went to work and bought lumber, and had it drawn a 
distance of seventeen and a half miles. I bought my 
brick, and had to haul them twenty-two miles, which 
kept us busy through the winter, Avith what other work 
we had to do. In the spring we collected men and 
raised these buildings. I hired two joiners, and they 
went to work on them. 

In June, I again worked on my mountain road, and 
then made it passable for a carriage, with what I had 
done the year before, a distance from my house of about 
six miles, on which I could carry in a wagon, with two 
stout horses, seven passengers at a time, and this made 
it much easier for the traveler, for ladies could go up 
much easier than they could at any other time before. 
They went oftener, and I spent the most of this summer 
in ascending the mountain with my friends at the house, 
and in fishing and hunting with them as much as they 
chose, and bestowing every act of kindness on them 
which I was capable of doing. The joiners, with what 
other assistance we could afford them, had the outside of 
these buildings finished and the inside so much done 
that it was comfortable for the winter. We were still 
at work, when on the 2d day of September we were 
again visited by a heavy rain, which was as great as the 



114 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

one we had two years before. The water in some places 
on the Amanoosuc, where the mountains come near to- 
gether, w r as higher than in the former freshet. On the 
Saco, it was not so high, yet the other freshet had made 
the channel of the river so wide, that the water flood 
could pass without being dammed up, or stopped in 
places, as it had been in the former one, therefore it did 
not occasion so much damage, but passed majestically 
along, taking only what lay in its course. The bridges 
wdiich had so lately been built anew, were mostly taken 
from their places and move I away, but not so far but 
that some of them could be brought back and put in 
their former places again. The road was in many places 
entirely destroyed. This put an end to all our business, 
at present, as we did not know what would be the re- 
sult of this. The joiners packed up their tools and left 
them and went home. As I was at this time transporting 
the United States Mail from Conway to Littleton, twice 
in each week, and it being impossible to go with a horse, 
we carried it regularly on our backs, without losing 
more than one single trip, to the satisfaction of our 
friends and employer. The directors of the turnpike 
came and looked over the road again, and finding it 
would take a large sum to repair it and make it passable 
for the winter, they refused, saying that the corporation 
was not able then to do it, but must have help from 
some other quarter and they knew no other way for the 
Craw T fords than that they must remain shut up by them- 
selves, as they could not then make another road there. 
This did not exactly correspond with my feelings, to be 
entirely shut up without any communication with our 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 115 

southern neighbors, and not have the privilege of get- 
ting provisions and other necessary things for my family. 
I concluded I would try my own luck, and see what I 
could effect myself. I set out in good earnest, took a 
piece of paper, and a man of judgment with me, and 
went down through the whole length of the road, and 
made an estimate of what I thought it would cost to re- 
pair it again. I consulted with my father upon the mat- 
ter, to know what was best to be done, then took my 
estimate and went down to Portland, and saw where the 
principal proprietors of the road lived. On my way 
there I called on one of the directors and took from him 
a letter directed to one of the principal proprietors and 
owners, to this purport, that the Crawfords were doing 
a little on the road, but could not effect much, and we 
as a corporation, have concluded we cannot do anything, 
at present, on the road, but must let it remain in the 
same condition for the winter. After having this letter 
read, and showing him what I thought it would cost to 
make it again, this proprietor gave me a power of attor- 
ney to act on his shares, and others did likewise, until I 
had enough to rule the meeting, which it was then my 
whole business to effect. On my way home, I bought 
two yoke of oxen, hired men and set them to work on 
the road. The first Wednesday in October was the 
time for the annual meeting of the corporation of the 
turnpike, to adjust their business. When they had 
transacted their regular affairs, it was put to vote 
whether there should be an assessment raised to repair 
the road. There were some against me, but I had the 
power in my hands and I could rule them as I pleased. 



116 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

I then, with the advice of my father, voted to raise an 
assessment on the shares, and that, with what other as- 
sistance we had from Vermont, and the adjoining towns 
around, was sufficient. We divided the broken places 
into jobs, and let it out to different men to make, similar 
to the way we had done in former times, and we had a 
tolerable sleigh path again for the winter. I went to 
Danville Bank and hired three hundred dollars, to pay 
off the men, and for other expenses, and, after spending 
a sum of four hundred dollars more, I was obliged to 
live without this money for nearly four years, with no 
interest, and could not get it, until it was collected from 
the benefit of the road. Such was my reward for per- 
severing and making the road contrary to the opinion of 
the directors, yet I could not charge them with the 
fault, for they did not wish to have it done until Con- 
gress could assist, or some other means could be devised 
to help them ; but it was done and I did not feel sorry 
for it, although my prospects suffered ; still, as it was for 
the benefit of the people, and I had done it for the gen- 
eral or public good, I did not mind it so much, as I 
would have done, had I done it from any selfish motive. 
But to return to my own affairs at home : a field of grain 
which was partly cut, and still standing in the shocks 
was swept away. As the channel of the river had been 
made wider in the former flood, it did not bring so 
much timber as at the other time, yet great quantities of 
sand and gravel were brought on to my interval, and the 
bridge and fences upon it were again carried away, and 
thus my mountain road was again destroyed. My loss 
of property was then considerable, but I did not make 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 117 

an exact estimate of it at that time,' as there did not 
seem to be much consolation in counting up one loss up- 
on another. My affairs looked gloomy, and I felt almost 
discouraged, as one misfortune kept following another, 
and I could not tell where my troubles would end. But 
in those times of trouble, Lucy was always calm and un- 
ruffled, whenever she thought they proceeded from the 
hand of God. She received things differently from my_ 
self; seldom if ever did she complain for the want of 
anything, but to know how to bring up our children in 
the right way, as they then began to be numerous ; she 
would say there was still more work for us to do. 

This fall a large number of men were at work on the 
road down through the Notch, and among them w r as a 
young man who was subject to a kind of fits, which 
would take him suddenly, and sometimes when he was 
not aware of it. These fits did not hinder him from 
laboring, though in some measure they affected his mind, 
and so much so that they always looked after him, and 
generally kept with or near him, in order that no acci- 
dent should befall him. At one time he had one of these 
turns after working hard through the day and at night 
he was tired; in the evening he showed some signs of 
wildness, which had been noticed by some of his, com- 
panions. His father was then with him, but the young 
man did not wish to sleep with his father that night, but* 
slept with another man. Sometime in the night, as it 
appears, he was thirsty and wanted some drink ; he got 
up and came down stairs, unnoticed by the rest of 
the company, went out of doors, and it seemed that he 
lay down to drink out of a small stream of water which 



118 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

then crossed the road near the house, and while in the 
act of drinking, he was taken with a fit, as it was sup- 
posed from every appearance, for in the morning when 
the men awoke and came down, and went out* of doors, 
they found him, lying dead and stiff, with his face in the 
water. How long he had lain there, they could not tell. 
He was taken up and conveyed into the house, where a 
rough coffin was prepared for him. My brother Thomas 
being there, came to my house and got a horse and 
wagon, and he was carried home, followed by his father, 
to Jefferson, the place of his nativity, to his friends and 
connections, there to be interred. Here again we had 
an evidence of the uncertainty of life, and the impor- 
tance of being prepared to meet death, let it come in 
whatever shape it may. This was a great grief to his 
friends for they were in rather low circumstances, and 
depended upon him for his labor, to help them support 
an aged mother who had been blind for twenty years. 
She was the first female settler in Jefferson, and I think 
her blindness Avas caused by a shock from lightning, 
which had affected her eyes, and they could not restore 
her sight, although some skilful physicians had tried. 
She lived to be almost one hundred years old. 

I went to Portland and bought furniture for my new 
establishment, and supplied it with pro visions, and Jan- 
uary, 1829, my brother Thomas married and moved in 
and took charge of my new stand. It being a new thing, 
and so convenient and accommodating, he had a great 
share of the winter company. It was thought that this 
would make a great place of resort for those who would 
decline the more arduous undertaking of ascending 
Mount Washington, for just behind the house was the 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 119, 

path which we first made to ascend the hills, and a good 
way might be found, one that could be made fit to ride 
in, on horseback, by taking a zigzag course from one side 
of the hill to the other, which would only make the dis- 
tance a little further, but would make the ascent much 
easier ; and then the eye of the curious might be almost 
satisfied with the sublime, magnificent and delightful 
prospect from Mount Pleasant, which is not much infe- 
rior in the opinion of some, to that from Mount Wash- 
ington. 

This winter I had given up the transporting of the 
mail, and I had no great business on hand, beside my 
necessary employment at home. The 4th of May, grand- 
mother dejoarted this life in the eighty-fourth year of her 
age, after struggling through several cold winters. Being 
afflicted with a cough, and worn out with a decline simi- 
lar to that of consumption, for the cold weather affected . 
her very much, nature at length gave way, and she could 
withstand it no longer. Our good neighbors and friends 
assembled and paid their last respects to her remains, 
and she was interred by the side of her husband on a 
piece of ground which was selected by them, not far from 
where they had lived and slept many years of their lives 
together. Here their bodies will remain until called up 
at the last day. I have placed some suitable monuments 
at their graves, which can be plainly seen by their 
friends, and their inscriptions can be read by all who 
would like to see and read them. 

"Their names and years, spelt by their lettered Muse, 
The place of fame and e-jgy supply; 
And many a holy text around she strews, 
That teach the rustic moralist to die." 



I 120 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

In the spring, I gave up the idea, at present, of my 
carriage road to the mountain, and thought it would an- 
. swer for a while to make a bridle path to the foot of it. 
I accordingly went to work and made a path sufficient 
for a horse to travel in seven miles, and I have sometimes 
gone further than this, but not often. On arriving at 
the place, we would alight from our horses and take off 
our saddles, lay them away, tie the horses to a tree, and 
thus compel them to remain there until our return, with- 
out food generally, with the exception of one whose age 
and fidelity commanded more attention than the rest, 
and which at the advanced age of thirty had the spirit 
of a colt, and would carry a visitor safely and in good 
style. For him I used to carry, or cause to be carried, a 
sack of oats, as often as possible ; yet this was not exact- 
ly the right way of treating the dumb beasts, to ride 
them on the run, early in the morning the distance of 
seven miles, and then in a state of perspiration, give them 
grain immediately, but there was no alternative. It had 
to be done in this way or not at all, and thus we drilled 
our horses from day to day, and frequently they have 
gone on the same route six days in a week. It was 
wearing to the flesh and trying to the spirits, to stand all 
day tied to a tree, and then run home again as fast as 
possible, at night. The only time they had to eat, was a 
few hours designed for rest, but in this way we traveled 
the rest of the time while I staid at the mountains, but 
not without remorse of conscience on my part, as our 
treatment of the dumb beasts was rather inhuman. But 
I was not able to remedy it, although I often promised 
so to do, by carrying in the winter on the snow a quan- 
tity of hay for them to eat when we were gone. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 121 

This summer there came some botanists from Boston 
for the purpose of making a collection of plants for them- 
selves, and to collect an assortment to send to Europe, 
and to get some live ones to send to New York to a 
friend, to be placed in a botanical garden. I went with 
them and two other men beside, to assist them in carry- 
ing blankets and buffalo skins to make them comfortable 
during the night, and also other things needful for such 
an expedition of three days. We traveled over and 
around the hill; and I and one of them went down into 
• a great gulf, and here we found plenty of snow. One 
place, I think was worthy of notice, where two ledges of 
per{>endicular rocks stood within six or eight yards of 
each other, and the snow had drifted over on top of 
these ledges and covered them both, making a complete 
roof. The sun had softened this snow by day, but at 
night it would freeze ; this had been done so many times 
in succession that it had formed a crust which was al- 
most impenetrable ; and I could not safely walk uj)on it, 
because it was glassy and slippery, and I could not make 
a dent upon it with the heel of my boot ; and underneath 
this the ground was filled with water, and warm springs 
seemed to be there, which had caused the snow to melt 
away from under. Such was the size of this empty space 
that a coach with six horses attached, might have been 
driven into it. I do not know how far this cavern ex- 
tended, as I did not go far into it, for the water was fast 
dropping from the roof, but it appeared to be of consid- 
erable length. It was a very hot day, and not far from 
this place, the little delicate mountain flowers were in 
bloom, and here we procured as many as we chose. 
6 



122 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

There seemed to be a contrast, — snow in great quantities 
and flowers just by, — which wonderfully displays the 
presence and power of an all-seeing and overruling God, 
who takes care of these little plants and causes them to 
put forth in due season. 

As we were going up the mountain about three miles 
from home, where blueberries grew in abundance, we 
found roads in different places in the woods which were 
daily traveled by bears. William Howe, a brother of 
Lucy, being then with us, we concluded we would take a 
few of them, if they would please to let us. We went 
to work in the woods and made several log traps, such 
as are called by hunters dead-falls, as they were built in 
such a manner that when a bear came to one of them 
and wanted the bait, he would have to go in such a way 
that while he took hold of it, the trap would fall, and 
generally kill him immediately. 

I had two steel traps, which I set also at one time. 
When I was gone from home, William went and found 
a steel trap gone ; he returned home, and taking another 
man with him, pursued the remainder of the day, but 
overtook nothing. Early the next morning they again 
set out, and following, found where the animal with the 
trap had lain the preceding night ; they chased him all 
day, but could not overtake him, and returning home- 
ward, came into one path some distance above, where we 
had set these traps, and when passing them, in the dark, 
they heard a great noise, which seemed to them that an 
old bear was cuffing her cub, he cried and took on in so 
lamentable a manner. William was . anxious to go and 
see what was the matter with them, but his companion 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 123 

would not suffer him, as he was better acquainted than 
William, and knew that if a cub was there confined and 
its mother was chastising him for his imprudence, she 
would be likely to show them some signs of her displeas- 
ure. They came home, and voluntarily said they would 
not go again after him. 

Having that night returned home myself, and receiv 
ing directions from them in regard to the route, and not 
feeling satisfied to have such a loafer make off with my 
property, — he all the while suffering with pain, while in 
his thievish act, — I concluded to go and look for him. 
Accordingly, the next morning, in company with my 
brother Thomas, I set out, and soon found where he had 
lain the second night ; we continued to pursue him as 
closely as we could trace him by the marks he made on 
the bushes, by breaking them with the trap, and laying 
the green brake leaves, which grow common here. I 
guess he began to think that Ethan, the Old Hunter, 
was after him in good earnest, and he was driven so 
hard and so closely, that he probably concluded to seek 
out for himself a good place, and then give us battle, as 
it appeared from the situation he was in when we over- 
took him. He was in a thicket, dangerous to encounter, 
for he was one of the long legged kind, savage in dispo- 
sition, and now being covered, I thought it best to look 
out for him. Thomas, coming up with the gun, was de- 
sirous of demonstrating Lis skill in shooting him, but as 
the gun had been injured by hitting it against a tree, it 
could not be fired easily ; he however aimed at the bear's 
head, but to his astonishment the ball entered his fore 
foot, the one he had at liberty. Beginning to fear for 



124 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

his safety, I took the gun and reloaded it, held the lock, 
the affected part, firmly in my hand, and firing, fortu- 
nately shot him through the head ; he keeled over and 
soon died. We now released the trap from his foot, 
which was nearly worn off. He had managed to carry 
the trap and walk on three legs, on logs and over wind- 
falls, by carrying it entirely up and clear of them. The 
trap when he first stepped into it was fastened with a 
chain and grapple ; this he broke, leaving behind all but 
a few links, and that part which adhered to the trap did 
not trouble him much. We stripped him of his skin 
and then returned home with it and the trap, feeling jus- 
tified for our humanity in releasing him from misery. 

Early the same morning, William went to find out 
what had been the trouble the evening before, and when 
he came to the place, he found a small cub caught by 
one hind foot ; it appeared true what they had heard the 
night before ; the trap was in a measure torn to pieces, 
and the dirt and other stuff seemed to indicate that an 
old bear had been there sure enough, but did not happen 
to release the young one. As this cub was small, it was 
suffered to go entirely through, excepting one hind foot, 
and when he took hold of the bait, the trap fell and 
caught his hind foot. William took hold of him and 
bound up his ivory, then securing his feet to keep him 
from scratching, brought him home alive, thinking he 
might be tamed and made a pet, as he seemed not much 
hurt, and being so young and small he supposed he 
might be taught as much as any other of his kind. He 
would also make a curiosity, as he was actually a native 
of the place j but either the hurt, or the different posi- 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 125 

tion in which he traveled from what he had been accus- 
tomed to, affected him, or else he intended to show 
proper resentment, and he died, shortly after being 
brought home, notwithstanding he bathed him in cold 
water and gave him water to drink. His skin was taken 
off and fastened to the barn. 

Shortly after this, word came about the middle of the 
day, that there was a bear in a trap. A party from the 
west having just arrived, one of the gentlemen said he 
would go and shoot him ; accordingly, we, with others, 
mounted horses and galloped off. On arriving at the 
spot, we found a good sized bear in a steel trap. The 
gentleman chose his distance, and this was not far, of 
course, as he did not apprehend any danger from the en- 
emy now before him, for Ethan was close behind. He 
fired three times, resting his gun and trembling as if he 
were freezing, (for any one under such untried circum- 
stances would naturally have tremor of the nerves, al- 
though naturally brave and determined,) and after the 
third shot, I took a club or lever, and finished the matter 
of killing him ; then placing him on my horse behind, 
brought him home, as this was the way I was accustom- 
ed to carry game home. 

Once, when going out, I found a good sized, fat, short- 
legged bear in a steel trap, and having a small gun, with 
only a partridge charge in it, I stepped up to him and 
put the whole contents of the gun into his face ; he fell 
back and died immediately. It was always against my 
principles to keep wild animals in misery, when they 
were in .my power, or to try to sport with or torment 
them, (further than to try their strength), because they 



126 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

were savage by nature ; but I would relieve tliem from 
pain as soon as possible. I considered they had feelings, 
and were not to blame for the sjDecies to which they be- 
longed, therefore I had no right to do so ; but I would 
treat them as well as I could. This bear weighed three 
hundred, and I had some difficulty in getting it on my 
horse. Some horses are afraid of them and sometimes 
get frightened by them ; this was the case with the one 
I had, for whenever I made an attempt to put the bear 
on her, she would snort and jump about in such a man- 
ner, I could not get him on. I then pulled off my coat, 
blindfolded her eyes, put the bear upon a stump, tied the 
horse close by, her head to a tree, and then putting my 
shoulder under the bear, lifted him on the saddle. I af- 
terward rolled him back on behind, loosed the horse and 
then mounted the saddle myself, took off the blinders, 
and went on home. Perhaps we made rather an awk- 
ward appearance, but as my companion was now civil, I 
had no reason to complain. Still it required some care 
and management to keep the balance of him, and look 
out for the horse, for she would turn her head round and 
see her burden, snort and stop short, and appeared to 
feel quite dissatisfied and uneasy with her load. This 
we dressed nicely, but the flesh was not of much use to 
my family, as there was an antipathy to it at home, in 
consequence of stories respecting their barbarous conduct 
sometimes, when they get hungry and tear to pieces hu- 
man flesh and devour it. No one would eat of the bear 
when cooked, although it smelled and tasted well. We 
managed to save the oil of what flesh we could not give 
away to our neighbors. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 127 

At another time, when going out to this now cele- 
brated place for bears, I found a good sized yearling bear 
caught in a steel trap by one of his fore feet, and he ap- 
peared not to have been long there. He had fastened 
the grapple to a bunch of roots, and there was a chain 
between the grapple and the trap ; here he was sitting in 
an humble and ashamed-looking position. I looked him 
over and at length concluded to contrive means to lead 
him home. I cut a round stick ten feet in length, suffi- 
ciently large and stout to lead him with ; then taking 
the throat-latch from the bridle, the stirrup leather and 
the mail straps from the saddle, set the horse at liberty, 
and managed to get hold of the bear's hind feet ; these I 
straightened and tied to a tree. I then went up to his 
head and secured his mouth, but not so tight but that he 
could lap water. While thus engaged, in spite of all my 
care, he put out his fore paw, the one that was at liberty, 
and placed it so hard against one of my legs, that I real- 
ly think had it not been for a good strong boot, he would 
have torn the skin, but the boot prevented him from 
tearing my leg ; he, however, took a piece of my panta- 
loons with him ; still I would not give up the idea of 
bringing him home alive. I then fastened a strap around 
him, before and behind, and the stick upon his neck, 
loosened his feet and began to try to lead him ; here we 
had a great struggle to see which was the stronger, and 
which should eventually be master ; and he played his 
part so well I could do nothing with him ; he would turn 
upon me and fight me all he possibly could. I now 
thought I must kill him, but 'as I had never been beaten 
by a wild animal, I was unwilling to give up now. He 



128 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

would come to a tree and hold on, so that I found I 
could not lead him. I again contrived a way to confine 
him, but with more difficulty than before, as his feet 
were entirely free, and being quick and active with them, 
I had hard work to get them again, but after a Avhile, I 
made out to. I tied his hind and fore feet together in 
such a manner that he could not scratch me, then plac- 
ing him on my shoulder, with one hand hold of his ear, 
to keep his head from coming too near mine, in case he 
wished to make a little closer friendship, I trudged on ; 
but he was so heavy and ugly to manage that it made 
me sweat, and I was obliged to lay him down often 
and rest, and whenever I came to water, I would let him 
lap it. I made out to get two miles, he all the while 
growing worse and worse. At last he actually turned up- 
on me and entered into an engagement with me by 
scratching and trying to bite, and after tearing my vest, 
I concluded I would once more lay him down, — and the 
way was not easy, — lifting him up as high as I could, I 
let him fall, and the ground being hard, the breath left 
his body. Here I left him and went home, and sent a 
man after him. 

This fall, at that place, we caught ten bears, for which 
I had three dollars premium apiece, and the skins were 
worth about as much more, which paid me pretty well for 
my time and trouble. 

As we were passing back and forth through the woods, 
we cliscovered signs of sable. As they appeared plenty, 
I thought it expedient to catch them and make merchan- 
dise of them, their fur, at this time, bringing a high 
price, for the fur of those sable which live in this cold 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 129 

region is much better than the fur of those of a milder 
climate, and superior in quality. I hired two men and 
went with them myself into the woods. We set up traps, 
spotted trees to make a line that might be followed 
again, several miles in length, and then selecting from a 
flock of sheep the oldest and poorest, such as we thought 
would hardly winter for age, killed a number, and took 
them for bait. This business we stuck closely to while 
in the season for it, but it did not last long, as the snow 
falls early on the mountains, and a small depth of snow 
with a warm day and cold night, would freeze the traps, 
so they would suffer being robbed without any resistance. 
At one time when William was going round to these 
traps, he found a live sable in one of them, which, from 
its appearance, had just got in. This was a pretty crea- 
ture. He was three miles from home, and knowing their 
dexterity and fondness for mice, and being infested with 
rats at the house, he thought he would bring him home 
alive, and try an experiment with him. So he pulled off 
his mitten, put him in head foremost, then placing 
him snug in his coat pocket, went on his way. The lit- 
tle fellow being warm and comfortable, enjoyed it quite 
well. When he got home, we tied a cord around his 
neck two or three yards in length, and then let him go. 
He did not seem wild, but would partake of food such as 
was set for him. We put him in the cellar, and he soon 
cleared out the rats. He soon became satisfied with our 
treatment toward him, and, gnawing off the string which 
left the cord around his neck, climbed a window that 
was cracked a little, made a hole through it, and escaped. 
He appeared to understand longitude, as he steered di- 
6* 



130 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

rectly back, and the first time after this on going to the 
tra]3S, we found him in the next one to that in which he 
was first caught. Poor fellow, he was now dead, the 
cord still around his neck, and thus we knew him. These 
animals are beautiful in form, color and motion, more 
active than a cat ; and their fur is excellent for trim- 
mings. 

This fall we caught about seventy-five of these sable, 
for which I realized nearly one dollar apiece, and felt 
quite satisfied for our work. We made considerable 
havoc among the wild animals, and a handsome profit 
from them, beside clearing the woods of some pernicious 
ones, such as might have troubled us had they been suf- 
fered to live, as they were getting plenty. We felt quite 
easy with the thought that we were mostly free of them. 

While engaged in this hunt, we discovered a beautiful 
little pond about two miles back of the Notch House, 
one of the sources of the Merrimac. The appearance of 
this pond and its situation pleased me much, as I thought 
it would afford abundance of amusement for our visitors, 
such as were fishermen. Beside this, the way in which 
we traveled was through romantic scenery. Leaving the 
main road half a mile below the Willey House, and trav- 
eling in the woods half a mile, we came to a ledge of 
great height, impossible to climb ; this we took a differ- 
ent course to go round. For beauty and grandeur it is 
nowhere surpassed by any spot, to me known, about 
these mountains. This pond was well calculated for 
moose, as here grew the lily, such as they were fond of 
pulling up, eating their roots. Beside, we saw signs and 
tracks of them recently made, but we did not happen to 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 131 

come in sight of any of them while hunting this fall, al- 
though one was heard ; but it was dark and he took care 
to make off with himself before it was light enough for 
him to be made a mark for the hunter. 

This winter, 1830, 1 had business at Colebrook. I here 
found a man who had accidentally come across a hollow 
log, containing a nest full of young wolves ; two of them 
he saved alive and tamed ; these were so well domesti- 
cated that I thought it would gratify our friends and 
add to the novelty of our scenery to have such an animal 
with us. I engaged him for the next summer. He was 
so docile in the spring as to suffer himself to take a seat 
in the stage to Lancaster ; then word was sent me to 
come for him. I went and led him home without any 
inconvenience, excepting when crossing the tracks of 
rabbits, he would jump and try to follow them and I 
would have to hold him fast by his chain. I brought him 
safely home, and fastened him in the blacksmith's shop 
in full view of any one who chanced to pass. Our little 
boy tutored him, and would make him howl whenever 
he desired. We found that when fed on animal 
food, he was more savage than when fed upon milk. I 
never but once had any trouble with him, and then when 
going into the shop door, I stepped upon a bone which 
he had just buried in the dirt, and he made a violent at- 
tack upon me ; I chastised him severely, and ever after 
he remembered it, and whenever I came near, he would 
appear humble, obedient and fawning. He was as play- 
ful as any dog, but he did not like strangers quite as 
well ; if they came near while he was eating, he would 
then appear cross, but he never hurt any one. 



132 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

I bought a beautiful deer which I kept this summer, 
and a handsome peacock ; these all amused our visitors. 
But there was in the wolf, a kind of shy, mischievous dis- 
j^osition lurking within, and whenever he could get a 
chance, he would lie still and seem to be friendly ; if a 
chicken would pass his way, and if he came within his 
reach, he would make a sudden jump and take him ; and 
the sheep, when they passed his door, he would try hard 
for one of them. At one time, I tied a long rope to the 
end of his chain, and let him into the hog yard where 
there was a number of swine, and an old one, who had 
young pigs, went at him in full rage, so much that she 
would not suffer him to take one of her young ones, nor 
give him any quarter. At another time we let him chase 
the calves in this way, with a rope tied at the end of his 
chain, and he would have succeeded in killing one of 
them, if he had been permitted. The deer possessed a 
mild, peaceable, inoffensive disposition, letting any one 
go near her, and would eat bread from the hands of any 
one, she was so tame and gentle ; but let strangers go in- 
to her pen and take her by one of her hind legs, and 
they could not hold her ; such was her strength and dex- 
terity, that she would get away from them, do the best 
they could. The peacock was another favorite ; he was 
a full grown one, and for beauty was not surpassed by 
any fowl whatever ; he possessed a sort of pride in show- 
ing himself, and our little boy had taught him to strut, 
generally when he desired him. These animals were of 
no use to us and they were an expense, but I always 
liked to have such things to show to our friends and vis- 
itors, as they all seemed to be delighted in viewing them ; 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 133 

for they combined, as it were, the nature of the forest, 
and they, with the romantic scenery, always gratified ev- 
ery beholder. 

This summer I had no great business on hand. I 
spent my time mostly with my visitors at the house, and 
ascending the mountains, whenever they decidedly re- 
quested it. But as I had been so many times up there, I 
was tired and worn out. I did not go when I could help 
it, but I always kept good and faithful guides, and every 
other accommodation that was in my power. The fame 
of this mountain scenery beginning to spread, and it be- 
coming fashionable, many came to view these wonders 
of nature, and they were generally, if not always, satis- 
fied, and considered themselves well paid for their time 
and trouble, and likewise they were satisfied with their 
fare while they staid with us. We used to tell them 
that whatever was lacking in substance we would try 
to make up in good will, and do the best we could to 
make them happy and their situation as pleasant as pos- 
sible,* and this never failed of having the desired effect of 
convincing them they were as much as possible at home. 
Among others, there came this summer four pedestrians 
from Boston, to spend several days with us, and ascend 
the mountain, fish, hunt, etc. One pleasant morning 
three of them proposed trying the hills ; they were pro- 
vided with a guide and everything necessary, and set off 
early, while the other one remained at home with me. 
As he had been up a few years before, he did not want 
to go again, and chose rather to try his luck in the forest. 

A short time after they were gone, he took his gun 
and steered for the woods to a place where I directed 



134 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

him, and where I had in the spring put into an old rot- 
ten log some salt for deer ; they found the salt and fre- 
quented it. Here he approached with great care, and 
soon had the good fortune to see a deer, and after shoot- 
ing him, cut his throat, and with the assistance of anoth- 
er man, returned in triumph to the house with his prize. 
After performing the duties of a butcher, he hung him 
up to ripen, after which it was taken down and prepared 
for the table, at which he and his friends bountifully par- 
took. During their stay with us I had a quarter of a 
fine fat bear sent me ; it was caught in one of my traps, 
which I had previously lent a neighbor ; this they also 
enjoyed very much. Here they staid and spent some 
time, enjoying themselves in various ways, and then re- 
turned home. This feat which he performed was told 
when he arrived home, but was hardly credited by some 
of his companions. He referred them to me, and I con- 
firmed the statement. 

I went up the mountain by an express desire from a 
botanist, to collect plants and save them alive, for I* had 
been there so many times with a botanist to collect 
plants, that I had acquired considerable knowledge of 
plants, and the different places where they grew. I went 
over the hills and came down into the gulf, and then se- 
lected different species, such as grow nowhere else ex- 
cept in the cold climate of Greenland. I carefully took 
them up with a quantity of earth and brought them 
home, placed them in a vase with some moist moss to 
preserve them, and then labelled the vase and sent it im- 
mediately to Boston. It was safely conveyed, and the 
plants were j^laced in a botanical garden ; how many of 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 135 

them survived I cannot fell, as I never beard from them 
afterward. The plants that were sent to New York the 
year before perished by the way, or rather some of the 
delicate ones. This was a beautiful employment, which 
I always engaged in with much pleasure ; finding out 
how curiously Nature had formed them and put them in 
different places, according to their merits, or properties, 
and the state of the atmosphere in which they were des- 
tined to live. 

This summer I guided several parties to the Pond. 
The first time I went there, we caught in a short time, 
about seventy nice salmon trout ; they differed a little 
from our common river trout, as they had a redder ap- 
pearance, and their taste and flavor was delicious. On 
the bank of the Pond we struck up a fire, and after dress- 
ing a sufficient number of them, we cooked them in real 
hunter style. I cut a stick with three prongs to it, and 
put the trout on these prongs in form of a gridiron, and 
I broiled them over the fire ; then I would cut pieces of 
raw pork and broil them in the same way, and lay them on 
top of the trout, and that would give them the right rel- 
ish. When cooked in this way, with a piece of good 
wheat bread, they made a good meal. I always enjoyed 
these and similar feasts in the woods, as in such ways I 
suppose our forefathers lived, when they first came over 
and settled this country. We had no fears from the na- 
tives, as I expect they had in that time, but we could eat 
and drink without fear of being troubled. All the fish 
which remained after we had eaten, I took up and 
brought home. My visitors, I believe, were as well sat- 
isfied as myself in all these excursions, wild as they were ; 
at least they would express themselves so. 



136 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

This fall we again set our sable traps and caught a 
number of sable, but not so many as we would have 
done, had it not been for the black cat, or fisher, who got 
the art of following the line and robbing the traps of 
bait, and would not then be satisfied, but would take the 
sable from the trap and eat them. This we did not like 
so well, but it so happened that we could not help our- 
selves ; they escaped being caught, although we tried 
hard to catch them, but they were so cunning or lucky 
we could not do it. 

The wolves had been for a long time troubling us, and 
were actually so cunning I could not catch one of them, 
although I had, in various ways, tried. The nearest I 
came to catching them, was by setting a trap in the wa- 
ter in a particular place where they frequently crossed 
the river. One of them sprung the trap, but it was cold 
weather, and ice had gathered upon it ; it did not shut 
so closely but that he pulled out his foot, and lucky for 
him, he made his escape. One good haul I made while 
setting the trap here in the water. It so happened that 
a family of ducks were swimming along, and they being 
so near together, four of them were caught at the same 
time in one trap. This, we thought, was almost a mirac- 
ulous thing, but it is true, for I took them all out myself 
and carried them to the house. 

In December there came a number of wolves to visit 
my flock in the night, but the sheep retreated, and went 
under the shed, and got in among the cattle and carriages. 
Their enemy did not venture in there, although they 
went as far as the middle post of the shed, for we tracked 
them there in the morning ; yet they satisfied their Crav- 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 137 

ing appetites, in a measure, by going just back of the 
stable and digging up the old carcasses of hears, which 
had been thrown there a few months before; these they 
gnawed close to the bone. The dog being shut up in the 
house, began to be uneasy and tried to get out, and, at 
length, I arose and let him out of doors, not knowing 
the cause of his uneasiness. He flew at them and they 
retired a few rods and then entered into an en^ao;ement 
with him, and I really think they would have made a 
finish of him, had I not interfered and driven them away. 
This was by a bright moonshine, and the dog, after 
being first liberated from them, ran toward me, and the 
wolves followed closely behind him, until they came near 
me. As I had no weapon to fight them with, being in 
my night dress, I observed to them that they had better 
make off with themselves, or I would prepare for them, 
and that pretty soon. They then turned about and 
marched away, but not without giving us some of their 
lonesome music. There were four of them. I counted 
their tracks as they made them along in a light snow ; 
and it was just day-light. As my sheep had been on the 
place for a long time, and had taken a notion to ramble 
in the woods, they were troublesome to us, as we had to 
look them up every night, for fear of their being caught. 
I was determined to sell them and get rid of our trouble, 
which I did the second fall after this. 

This winter (1831) there came some favorite hunters 
to go with me and search for moose, as we knew there 
were moose somew T here about the mountain, for two had 
been seen to cross the road a few months before, half a 
mile below my house. Everything being put in readi- 



138 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

ness, we with our dogs and snow-shoes set off. We first 
steered to the before mentioned pond. We traveled all 
day but we found no moose, and at night we went down 
to my father's ; there we staid that night, and some of 
our party being wearied, remained the next day and 
amused themselves by cutting pasteboard mininoes, 
while father, Mr. Davis and myself went out in search of 
moose. We traveled another day, but with no better 
success than the former. We went up so high and so 
far into the woods, as to get beyond the living animals, 
such as we were then in pursuit of, as we could not see 
a track or a sign of one, and had actually got upon a hill, 
from which it was difficult to get down. We struck up- 
on a brook which had a smooth surface, being then frozen 
over, and father, sitting down upon the heels of his snow- 
shoes, commenced sliding down ; he had got under good 
headway, when he came in contact with a tree which 
stood in his way, and, to savfe himself, caught hold of it ; 
this, as he was coming with such force when he took 
hold of it, gave him a complete somerset, and turned him 
completely round the tree. We came down in a similar 
manner, but not without fears, as it was dangerous. We 
made out, however, to get in that night. 

The next day, as our party which we left behind had 
got rested, we started for home, and on our way took 
some fine deer. These we felt justified in taking, as it is 
said that wolves follow when deer are plenty, and these 
ferocious animals had been troublesome, making great 
depredations among flocks of sheep in the neighborhood 
by killing a number at a time, and many more than they 
wanted for present use ; but in my flock they had been 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 139 

more favorable, although at one time they killed and 
wounded seven ; however, they generally took no more 
than they wanted at a time. They select the finest and 
fattest, and on him perform a curious act in butchering. 
We have found, after they have visited the flocks, a skin 
perfectly whole, turned flesh side out,, with no other 
mark upon it, excepting at the throat, where there was a 
regular slit cut, as though it had been cut with a knife, 
down as far as the forelegs ; the flesh all eaten out, and 
the legs taken off, down as far as the lowest joint ; the 
head and backbone left attached to it ; the pelt left in 
the field but a few rods from the house. They would 
sometimes set up a howling, and a more terrific and dis- 
mal noise I never wish to hear than this, in a clear still 
night. Their sound would echo from one hill to another, 
and it would seem that the woods were filled and alive 
with them. • 

We had some trouble with the old barn that escaped 
the fire in 1816, as it had received some severe shocks in 
the times of the freshets, and had some considerable in- 
jury done to it this winter. We had fears lest the wind 
would blow it over, and destroy or injure the cattle; 
however, we propped it up, and it did not fall. I went 
to work and bought a sufficient quantity of lumber, and 
brought it home for a new barn. In the spring and 
summer I built a new one, sixty feet long and forty 
wide. This I set back of the shed, and I had a commu- 
nication through from the shed into it, which made it 
convenient for all the buildings. 

This summer we had a great many visitors, and among 
others, a member of Congress, Daniel Webster. It was 



140 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

in the warm weather of June, and he desired me to go 
with him up the mountain, which I accordingly con- 
sented to, and we went up without meeting anything 
worthy of note, more than was common for me to find. 
But to him things appeared interesting, and when we ar- 
rived there, he addressed himself in this way, saying, 
"Mount Washington, I have come a long distance, have 
toiled hard to arrive at your summit, and now you seem 
to give me a cold reception, for which I am extremely 
sorry, as I shall not have time enough to view this grand 
prospect which now lies before me, and nothing prevents 
but the uncomfortable atmosphere in which you reside !" 
After making this and some other observations, we be- 
gan our descent, and there was actually a cold storm of 
snow here on the hill, while below, it was tolerably clear, 
and the snow froze upon us, and we suffered with the 
cold, until we came some way down, and reached a 
warmer climate. We returned safely home, when he re- 
lated his tour to his female friends, whom he had left be- 
hind to spend the day at the house. Here they stopped 
again over night, and the next morning he took his de- 
parture. After paying his bill, he made me a handsome 
present of twenty dollars. 

I had bought a little piece of artillery from the com- 
pany of militia in Whitefield, and put it on a little 
mound which was called Giant's Grave, just back, or at 
the end of the barn. This I had there for the benefit of 
the echo, for when loaded and touched off, it would 
make a gres t noise, as it stood up in the air above the 
level of the surface, thirty or forty feet high, and when 
the air was still and clear, would echo from one hill to 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 141 

another, and then the sound would float along down the 
stream until it all died away on the car. This was really 
grand and delightful, and all who heard it were well 
pleased, and some used to call it Crawford's home-made 
thunder, as it resembled the sound of thunder more than 
anything else. It was said that this echo was similar to 
that on Lake George when a gun was fired there. This 
cannon was made frequent use of, and for no other pur- 
pose but to amuse our frierids and visitors. Once it was 
loaded and filled so full and jammed in so hard, that it 
burst in touching off, and that put an end to this kind of 
sport then. We constantly had company in the season 
for it, and many were in the habit of making us presents, 
and among them we were presented with another gun, 
much superior to the former, sent to us by Mr. Gale and 
Mr. Gibson from Boston to Portland, and brought from 
there by a man who had been to market with cheese. 
This gun would hold half a pint of powder at a time, and 
the first time when we loaded it, w r e fired it off in the 
road not far from the house, and it spoke so loud that it 
made the house jar, and cracked some glass in the win- 
dows. We then removed it to the before mentioned 
place where the other stood, and there it remained a few 
years, till we had some men there who were helping us 
get in our hay. One night it was desired to have it fired 
off and one of them loaded it with more than a proper 
charge, and then put in gravel and drove it in hard, as 
he thought he would give us an explosion such as we 
never heard before ; then with his match he touched it 
off and it burst and flew all in pieces. I then sent to 
Portland and bought another to make up this loss, and 



142 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

that I left with some other interesting things at the 
White Hills. Some seasons we have burnt three kegs of 
powder in that gun. 

Company coming from all quarters, we now suffered 
for the want of house room, and many times our visitors 
were so numerous, that for the want of beds and lodging 
rooms, Lucy would have to take the feather beds from 
the bedsteads, and make them up on the floor and then 
the straw beds would answer for the bedsteads. In this 
way we could accommodate two, and sometimes four, 
and frequently she would give up her own bed and lie 
down herself uj^on the floor, as she was always willing to 
suffer herself, if she could only make her friends comfort- 
able. But this, beside being unpleasant all round, was 
wearing upon the constitution too much, after toiling 
hard all day, to be deprived of a bed at night to sleep 
upon. But such are the feelings which many are sub- 
ject to, if they possess obliging dispositions, and more 
especially when they are used to misfortunes, as we had 
been, that nothing seems too much for our friends. As 
it seemed that it was not intended for us to have enough 
to buy such things in abundance, as most of our visitors 
were doubtless accustomed to at home, therefore it became 
needful to do every act of kindness in our power. I was 
again advised by my friends to build an addition, which 
I knew was necessary, but which my circumstances, I 
well knew, would not admit of. I had been in debt ever 
since I came here to live, but I had never suffered any 
inconvenience by it, and I had never been called upon in 
such a manner as to make me any cost, with two excep- 
tions ; and after considering and reconsidering, I found I 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 143 

could have fifteen hundred dollars from the Savings 
bank in Concord, by paying the interest annually for a 
number of years, if I gave them good sureties, and hav- 
ing concluded to build, I mortgaged my farm and ob- 
tained the sureties required. 

The roads were again good, and I expected if they re- 
mained so there would be more company every year ; 
and as the situation of my house was such that it had a 
commanding view of all the mountain scenery around, 
and this was actually, as I thought, the only proper place 
for all those who desired to visit this romantic spot, al- 
though another establishment had been erected three 
quarters of a mile below my ho use for the same purpose 
which for its size and construction, was well enough, yet 
there was but a limited prospect of the mountains there, 
for Mount Deception stands between that and Mount 
Washington, therefore all who desired to see it had to 
come to my house and view it from there. All who 
acted upon principles of honor and justice, preferred this 
place to any other, those who lived here having beaten 
the bush and suffered every hardship and privation, 
which such a lonely place is subject to when new. I had 
done everything to open and facilitate a way to the 
mountains, and make it as good and convenient as I pos- 
sibly could, therefore, in consideration of all these cir- 
cumstances, I expected public patronage ; and I always 
had a goodly share, particularly of distinguished men, 
and always will be likely to, I thought, at my house, if 
kept in good style, without having all the affluence of a 
city hotel, as that will not be expected, so far in the 
woods remote from market; but always having such 



144 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

things as are suitable for such a place, served up in a 
proper manner, neat and clean, so as never to fail to sat- 
isfy persons of judgment. 

It is said to be a Yankee custom, that when a man is 
thought to be doing well, there is always some one who 
wishes to dip into the same business, as other men think 
they can do better, especially, if they suppose they can 
indulge themselves by living easily, and, by fair promises 
never to be fulfilled, make others work without pay 
for their labor ; so with a -man from Jefferson, in our 
opinion, and we have a right to our opinion, and to pub- 
lish it, with proper motives, for the public good. He 
came in the fall of 1831 and bargained for a place three 
quarters of a mile below mine. I had been acquainted 
w T ith him years previously, and thought him friendly, as 
most other people are, and, also, that he was, as we were, 
friendly to the inhabitants around, when, one day, hap- 
pening to be down where this man was, for he had come 
to look over the jn*emises, (which he has since left, and 
which, perhaps, " shall know him " now " no more for- 
ever, ") and make a bargain for the same, I said to him, 
" William, what are you here for, and where are you 
going?" This, by some, might possibly be thought im- 
pertinent, but it was a friendly way we had of calling 
one another by the given name. He answered he was 
going to Bethlehem to see some men there. I soon left, 
and this man went no further than to Mr. Rosebrook's, 
six miles, to the man who owned the place, and bought 
it of him, and, in January, was to take possession. 

This clandestine management was a mystery to me, 
for we were pleased to have a neighbor near, and no dis- 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 145 

• 

advantage had arisen by the settlement, nor never would 
have, had this man only taken the right course. We 
might Jiave been a great help to each other, as had been 
the case with others who lived there before him ; but, 
instead of this, he took a different way to manage. He, 
in the summer, made use of my mountain road, where I 
had spent considerable money, and which I had labored 
hard to make for visitors and my own benefit, and 
thought as much my property as any other part of my 
own farm, as it was made entirely at my own expense, 
through my own land. To prevent encroachment on his 
part, I was compelled to make a fence and to put up a 
quit against him; and finding he could not have this 
privilege by stealth, he sent a hired man to have Richard 
Eastman, Esq., come down to his house, for he was there 
at our house, wishing him to intercede for him, and see 
if I would not then compromise with him, and let him 
have the privilege of my road. The Esquire told him it 
was then too late for this ; he should have come to me 
himself before he had attempted to intrude irpon my 
rights, and then there would have been no trouble in pro- 
curing this or any other favor, and we could have lived 
like men, and have been an advantage to each other ; but, 
instead of this, he tried to live on me and the effects of 
my hard labor. After this he made a path on the back 
of Mount Deception, and then came into my road, adver- 
tising he had made a new road, shortening the distance to 
the mountain. This I did not contradict in print, and 
thus the public was inrposed upon and I was robbed of 
what was actually my own property in this insinuating 
way. 

7 



146 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

When I first came to live here, there was a mail once 
a week from Maine, up through the Notch to Lancaster, 
Vermont, and it continued so for some time after. As 
the inhabitants increased, there was another mail route 
established from Littleton to my house, intersecting the 
one running through the Notch, and it was necessary for 
the postmaster to open it, divide it, and send packages to 
the directed places. I was properly appointed to transact 
this business, and then it run twice each week but now 
three times, each way, once in each working day, through- 
out the week, all the year. My neighbor having a desire 
to take this situation of postmaster, got a petition 
draughted and had a false affidavit sworn to, for the sake 
of wresting the office from me ; this petition he carried 
about himself, to the industrious inhabitants, who had 
not time to read it, as they said, and were not aware of 
what they were doing, when they signed it, supposing 
that they were to have an office in their own town, and 
not disturbing mine. He succeeded in obtaining names 
of eighteen citizens and three selectmen, as stated from 
Washington, and this was another misrepresentation, as 
this was a new place and the town had not been organiz- 
ed ; therefore they had no selectmen or any other officers, 
excepting some men authorized to receive public money 
for schools, and that was all they had the power to do. 
This is a copy of the letter from headquarters. 

Post Office Department, 

Office of Appts. and Inst. 

August 24, 1832. 
Ethan A. Ckawford, Esq. 

Sir: It is represented to this Department, in an affidavit, that 

you have, at clivers times, detained letters and papers which 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 147 



were directed to Phineas Rosebrook. The Postmaster General 
requires your answer to the charge. It is also represented by 
eighteen citizens and three Selectmen of Carroll, that the pres- 
ent location of your post-office is very inconvenient, and that 
the people who depend on it would be much better accommo- 
dated by its removal to the house of William Denison. The 
Postmaster General wishes to know if you have any objections 
to the proposed change of site. 

I am, sir, respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

S. R. Hubbard. 

This made me some trouble, as I was under the neces- 
sity of vindicating my own character, in the charge laid 
against me. I went to Mr. Rosebrook, myself, and he 
could not say as it had been stated, but only to gratify 
the man, who was an office seeker, had he spoken as he 
did, and most of those who signed the petition said they 
were willing to sign one against it, if I wished them, but 
that I could do without assistance from them by my an- 
swering the letter referred to. However, he did not 
obtain his object ; the post-office was not moved. 

After getting through with my summer and fall com- 
pany, in the winter of 1832, as I had made up my mind 
to build, we had a great deal to do. As we had our glass 
and nails, our paints and oils, and other necessary things, 
to buy and bring home, we did not get ready to draw 
lumber until March. We then Avent at it with two 
teams, myself with one and my little boy with another, 
and this kept us in employment nearly two months, as it 
required a great quantity of lumber, such as boards, 
shingles, clapboards, etc., from this same before mentioned 
distance of thirteen miles. In the spring, I hired men 



148 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

and went into the woods and prepared timber for a house, 
and in May, we raised it. It was sixty feet long and 
forty feet wide, two stories, with the addition of a piazza 
on one side, sixty feet long, two stories, and this fronts 
Mount Washington, east ; north end, Mount Deception ; 
south end, the beautiful green hill where deer live in the 
summer, since named Liberty Mountain, and whence 
they have frequently come down into the interval and 
there played and gamboled about in full view, and many 
times have gratified our visitors by staying some time in 
this way, and then galloping off into the woods. Again 
I kept salt in an old log at the end of the meadow, which 
induced them to come down there. I desired my men 
never to frighten them, or injure them, choosing rather 
that they should come this way, than to kill them. In 
the fall, this hill, like the surrounding mountains, is 
richly ornamented with various colors, which, if imitated 
by a painter, would make, as it would at any time, a 
handsome picture. And there is a one story piazza, fifty 
feet long, to accommodate the traveler, as he could drive 
up by the side of it, and step into it right out of the car- 
riage. I hired six joiners, who went industriously to 
work, and before the last of July, they had their work 
done, and the painting outside was finished, so that it was 
ready for company, exce2)ting plastering, which we post- 
poned for another year. 

This new addition gave us a great deal of room, which 
required considerable furniture to make comfortable, 
without extravagance ; and I was under the necessity of 
buying all this, and it only involved me more and more 
in debt ; but still I hoped to see better times, although I 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 149 

did not know when, for I was continually going from one 
expense to another. Still I had paid away my money as 
fast as I had received it, and, I thought, to good advan- 
tage. There was, I may say, another great expense 
which still hung upon my shoulders, from which I did 
not know how to extricate myself. I was obliged to 
keep a number of horses, for no other purpose than to 
accommodate my friends a few months in the summer, 
for them to ride upon the mountain ; these I had to keep 
most of the year, on hay and grain when used, and they 
were of little use beside this, the rest of the year. Then 
I had the most of my help to hire, which took away my 
coppers, as I always made it a practice to pay my hired 
help, if I did not pay other debts, for I always considered 
the laborer worthy of his hire, and all those who depend 
upon their own daily labor for a living, ought not to be 
cheated, neither ought their work to be trifled with, 
while* they who trade and get their living by speculation, 
deserve also to be punctually paid their due, although 
they do not always have so great immediate necessity ; 
but were there generally greater punctuality, there would 
be less failures. I have often heard it said that 

" He who by the farm would thrive, 
Must either hold the plough or drive," 

and sometimes I thought I did both ; but it seemed I did 
not get ahead very fast, though I made the best I could 
of it, laboring myself all the time. I seldom lost a meal 
of victuals or a day, in consequence of sickness, and I 
had no other infirmities, exeej^ting at times the rheu- 
matism, which I think was caused by working in the 
water when living in the state of New York, and a 



150 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

tumor which I then thought was the piles and treated in 
a manner for the piles ; but this was a painful thing to 
me. Many times I suffered greatly from the complaint, 
without saying anything about it, and I kept it to myself 
for a long time. This, I suppose, was caused by going 
through so many heats and colds in some of the many 
and severe hardships which I had encountered while 
trying to do all I could for the public, and I sometimes 
went beyond my strength, and had I not more than a 
common constitution, I could not have stood it so long 
as I did. This summer we again had many visitors, and 
among them came a gentleman from Georgia, for his 
health. He had fallen in company with a party which, 
after making their visit, took their leave of him and us 
and returned, while he staid some weeks. As his health 
was poor, he did not care much about the society of 
strangers, choosing rather to spend his time in the circle 
of our family, while he amused us, giving descriptions of 
his country, and the manners there, which interested us 
very much. Sometimes he would play some tunes upon 
a violin, which belonged to the house, and after leaving, 
before he arrived at home, he wrote to us, informing us 
his health was improved by our mountain air. 

This winter, 1833, I bought a sufficient quantity of 
lime, and brought it from Portland and Littleton, to 
plaster my house, also paper to paper it ; likewise in the 
spring, the mason came and plastered it, and then we 
papered it. We had some otjier troubles with our 
neighbor, by his encroaching on our property, beside 
what I have mentioned, which I will not relate. Some 
may say I did not like to have a man settle down near 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 151 

me ; this, if so considered, was not so. I might have 
had the place where he lived, twice. The first man that 
bought the land, as he thought, put up buildings, but it 
happened that he did not buy the lot which he had built 
upon; this circumstance I was aware of, and I might 
have gone to the right owner and bought myself ; but I 
had no disposition for an act like this. He afterward 
■went and bought, which I was perfectly willing he should 
do ; and, after a while, finding that he should not be 
able to finish his buildings and pay for the land, he came, 
like a man, and offered it to me, first, and wished me to 
buy it. This, also, I was advised to do, by my father, 
and he offered to assist me if I bought it ; but I told 
him that I did not want it ; furthermore, I was willing 
to have another establishment, so that the public would 
not be compelled to put up with a Crawford, because 
there could be no other place ; and, if I could not do so 
well as to merit public patronage, I ought not to have it. 
One other reason induced me to have the place settled ; 
the more inhabitants, and the better the accommodations 
at the mountains, the more people would be likely to 
resort here, as they w r ould be sure of being made more 
comfortable, and would not be crowded ; and, moreover, 
they could have a choice. Sometimes we were full, also, 
and desired some to go to our neighbor's, and they 
answered, if we had but a spare peg in the house, why 
they could hang on that, one night, and refused thus to 
be turned away ; so we would do the best we could for 
them, and make them comfortable, if possible. 

This summer we had more company than usual, which 
kept us busy all the time from June, until the last of 



152 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

September, and not one night were we without guests. 
In July, the olst, we had seventy-five to lodge, beside 
our own family. Early the next morning a goodly num- 
ber of the gentlemen mounted horses and set off for the 
mountains, in good spirits, while the remainder, many of 
them, staid and spent the day at the house with us. 
They all anticipated, the ensuing evening, a social and 
merry time,, as they intended to have an innocent dance 
after the music of a violin, which was to be used by a 
celebrated player, as they had done the evening before ; 
but alas! how soon may the expectation of pleasure, in 
this world, be cut off ! They all reached the summit in 
good season, and, partaking of the fare carried for them, 
by the guide, and making such remarks as they thought 
proper, they, at one o'clock, began to descend. One of 
the party being a sea-captain, said he would be the first 
down to see the ladies, and instantly set forward. The 
guide called out to him, and told him he was going 
wrong, but he, either not hearing him, or else thinking 
he might steer his way here on this mountain, as well as 
on the water, went on, and they soon lost sight of him. 
The rest of the party kept together until they reached 
the horses, bufr saw nothing of the Captain; here they 
found his horse and the rest of the horses, and knew 
from this circumstance, that he had got out of the way. 
They then came home as fast as possible, and related 
this to his brother, sisters and friends, who were wait- 
ing his return ; they were alarmed and felt anxious for 
his safety. 

I was called upon and consulted to know how we 
were to manage to find him. We then agreed that a 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. '158 

fire should be made on or near the stream which crosses 
the path coming down the mountain, in case he should 
strike upon this stream in his wanderings, and follow it 
clown till he came to this fire; then there should be. 
some one there to assist him home, while I should go on 
the mountain and search for him. We accordingly set 
out ; his brother was to take care and manage the fire 
and then leave some one to blow the horn and be on the 
look out for the Captain. I ascended the mountain, 
went up Jacob's Ladder, and out tlirough the woods, 
that night, and called out to him a number of times, 
but no answer could I receive ; thus I wandered about, 
calling to him, until it grew so dark I could see no long- 
er. I then made my way down to a temporary camp, 
which we had to accommodate us when at work on the 
road, and here I staid the remainder of the night. 
Early the next morning, while it was yet dark, I arose 
and pursued after him with renewed vigor. I went 
again on the mountain, and again called out to him, in 
different places, but all in vain ; no answer could I get, 
and I found one might as well look for a needle in a hay 
mow, as to find a man here on the mountain, unless he 
had accidentally slipped and put out a joint, or broken a 
bone, so that he could not walk. I feared that this was 
the case with him, and when worn out with fatigue and 
hunger, began to call loudly, but I came home without 
finding a single trace of him. This was sorrowful news 
to his friends and relatives, but there was still a hope 
th*t he might find himself safe on the other side of the 
hills, which was actually the case. Here we will make 
7* 



$54* HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

use of his own language, as he wrote it in the album 
after his return. 

August 1, 1833. The inclination I felt to reach a 
warm climate induced me to leave the party with whom 
I had ascended Mount Washington yesterday. After 
half an hour's rapid walk I found myself alone, and a 
little time convinced me that attempting to find them 
was fruitless. I then found my way to the bed of a 
stream, a branch of the Saco, and followed its winding 
for twelve miles, through briers and over rocks, from 
one till seven o'clock p.m., and when the approaching 
darkness warned me of the necessity of a bed, I discov- 
ered an object more pleasing than all the wonderful 
scenery that had served (though in a slight degree) to 
while away my six hours incessant labor. 'Twas a log 
bridge crossing the stream in which I was wading. Fol- 
lowing the road with renewed vigor, I arrived in an 
hour at Mr. Hanson's, when a bowl of milk and a good 
bed left me nothing to regret but the probability of un- 
easiness in the minds of my friends here. 

This morning I left Mr. Hanson's at five o'clock, 
walked seven miles to Mr. Wentworth's in Jackson, rode 
three miles bareback to Mr. Chisley's, who took me in 
his wagon seven or eight miles to Gould's, in Bartlett, 
whence I made the best of my way to this comfortable, 
temporary home, having been absent over thirty hours. 

Jno. S. Paine. 

P.S. So the mountains brought forth a mouse, j. s. p. 

"go it you cripples." 

Kennebunkport party obliged to leave here this day in 



HISTORY OP THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 155 

anxious uncertainty for the fate of our cousin and friend, 
Lieut. J. S. Paine. 

C. A. L. and Party. 

With hearts light and gay, 

On a fine summer day, 

We arrived at far fam'd Ethan's place ; 

When the sun shone so bright, 

And all rilled with delight, 

We welcomed with joy each known face. 

Then we wanted to go 

To the mountains of snow, 

And look on that scene so sublime; 

But our friends said " nay," 

'Twas a dangerous way, 

And the rocks we should ne'er try to climb. 

So we waited to hear 

What our friend Paine would bear, 

From the weather, the road and the sight, 

But we waited in vain, 

For alas ! he ne'er came, 

And dreary and dull was the night. 

May he come in his glory 

To finish my story, 

And tell of his victories won ; 

Then with sun beaming bright, 

And hearts bounding light, 

We'll farewell to Mount Washington. 

This j:>oetic effusion was written by the accomplished 
Mrs. C. A. Lord, of Kennebunkport, as saith the Album. 

It is necessary for all who ascend the mountain, espe- 
cially for the first time, to be governed by the guide, as 
the distance of more than a mile is over rocks without 



156 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

any surface to make any path or track, and unless the 
stranger takes particular notice of the way in which he 
goes up, he may, like the Captain, get mistaken and take 
a wrong course. Several years ago, when it was the 
custom to go out and camp at the foot of the mountain, 
then, early in the morning, ascend the hill, a young Ver- 
monter with some others came and went there and staid, 
and early in the morning set out to climb the hills. 
There came on a thick mist of rain after they had start- 
ed, but he being persevering determined to go on, and 
for fear he should lose his way when he should come 
back, laid up piles of Atones, as monuments or guides, at 
proper distances from each other, so that travelers should 
not get mistaken or lost, which remain in honor of him at 
this day and have been of use to many, who were like 
himself, determined to pursue after they had undertaken 
it. He, however, returned to the camp after reaching 
the summit, sent the guide home for new supplies of pro- 
visions, and there they remained until they had a clear 
day. Such was the spirit of a Vermonter. 

I do not recollect anything more, particularly interest- 
ing, that took place this summer, worth mentioning, but 
suffice it to say, we had plenty of company until quite 
late in the fall, and some after the snow had got so deep 
that they could not reach the top of the hill. 

1834. Now as I was satisfied, for the present, with 
building, I had not much business on hand excepting that 
of buying and bringing home supplies for the season. I 
spent my time in'incipally with my family. Home, with 
me, was always delightful, after spending the day in dif- 
ferent exercises and getting weary. To be able to sit 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 157 

down and have half a dozen little ones come and rest 
themselves upon me, all of them having good reason and 
proper shapes, which was a great satisfaction to me, was 
considered a blessing. In April, one week after the birth 
of our ninth child, Lucy took cold, and as she had been 
accustomed to administer physic to her family, when un- 
well, she now thought she would prescribe for herself. 
She then ordered a dose of hygean pills to be handed 
her, and took a large portion of them ; but as these had 
not the desired effect, she took another, which, as her 
physician told her afterward, was the means of saving 
her life at that time, but did not restore her to health. 
She remained sick and feeble, with a slow fever. I then 
sent eighteen miles for a physician who came and gave 
her such things as he thought proper, but did not remove 
the cause. We sent and he came again ; but no better 
did she get. Her case was now a desperate one. The 
child, for want of proper nourishment, such as is natural 
for children, grew very worried and fretful ; this served 
to add another trouble to Lucy, as she had always been 
healthy and could satisfy her infants by nursing them, but, 
at this time, it only seemed to injure and not satisfy it ; 
and as she had the feelings of a mother, she said she did 
not know how to bear with its cries. A friend, a gentle- 
man from Portsmouth, calling at my house at this time, 
when going on business to Jefferson, saw the situation of 
Lucy, and she having a brother living there, whose wife 
had just lost an infant, they sent me word by the gentle- 
man upon his return from Jefferson, that if I would bring 
the child to them, they would take care of it. This in- 
formation I received late at night and when cornmunicat- 



158 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

Lag it to Lucy, she seemed rejoiced to think the child 
was provided for. I brought up several objections to 
her against parting with it ; told her that if they nursed 
it, most likely their affections would be so great for it, 
they would not be willing to give it up ; all these things 
she could do away with if she could but know it com- 
fortably taken care of. Her mind being fixed, suitable 
preparations were made for its removal. My courage be- 
gan to fail, and I asked Lucy if we had not better wait 
and bring her brother's wife over here ? She said, no, as 
it would be a long time before she would be able to come, 
and she could not bear the sufferings of the babe any 
longer. It was then wrapped up, and after it had receiv- 
ed the parting kiss from its mother, which was imprinted 
with a tear, for which she received a smile in return, for 
the child was then six weeks old, I took it in my arms on 
horseback and carried it sixteen miles, without a murmur 
or a cry from the child, by stopping twice on the way 
and feeding it out of a bottle, which I carried in my 
pocket, which had been previously prepared for it. The 
child was welcomed by its new mother, and after receiv- 
ing plenty of nourishment, it became satisfied. I return- 
ed home and related my tour and good success in the 
conveyance of the babe, and the satisfaction it appeared 
to take in a new mother's bosom. This, Lucy said, was 
an act of Providence, for which she hoped to be thank- 
ful. As Lucy got no better, I was advised to send thirty 
miles for another physician, who succeeded no better 
than the former one in removing the cause of her com- 
plaint. I likewise had the advice of several old and ex- 
perienced ones, but all to no purpose; she remained 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 159 

sick, weak and in great pain most of the time. She was 
told by her friends it was not likely she would ever re- 
cover, or arise from that bed of sickness ; this did not 
seem to affect her in the least. She kept up good cour- 
age, as she was desirous of getting well, knowing that 
she had a large family of her own, beside Uncle William 
to take care of, and much there is depending on a mother 
in bringing up her children. These things she took into 
consideration, with a firm belief that God would, in his 
wise providence, see fit to send some means to help her ; 
and after lying in this helpless situation from April until 
July, her desires were answered. Doctor Warren, with 
his family, from Boston, came to spend a few days with 
us ; and his good lady, having been here before and learn- 
ing that Lucy was sick, came immediately into the room, 
and seeing how she was, said she would go for the doc- 
tor. He came in and examined her, but did not pre- 
scribe anything for her at that time. He came the third 
time to see her, and then wrote a prescription for her, 
which as soon as it was obtained, helped her, and in a 
few weeks she was able to be about with her family. 
All this did the doctor, without receiving a single far- 
thing, for he would not accept of compensation for his 
trouble or advice, for which we are still indebted to Jiim. 

Likewise we are under many obligations to a number 
of people of Boston, for their kindness, their attention 
and presents during the summer. 

My affairs at that time began to look gloomy ; sick- 
ness had ever been a stranger at our house, now it be- 
came an associate there. Our next youngest child was 
dangerously ill of the bowel complaint, and company 



160 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

began to shun my house, which was on account of the 
influence of stage drivers, as our neighbor, having made 
some addition to his establishment, offered to keep their 
horses on hay, free from any expense to them, if they 
would influence the company, and bring the passengers 
to his house. Of this I was verbally informed by them, 
but as I was then keeping- them at a very low rate, I did 
not know how to keep them for nothing, and of course 
they removed their quarters. I had done much for 
them in making the place fashionable, which caused 
them to have passengers, who paid them handsomely for 
riding in their stages. This I thought would be enough 
to insure their patronage, without an explanation to 
them. The owner of the line had been promoted to 
some public stations, which should have insured better 
principles within his mind than to have let him practice 
upon such a low, narrow, contracted one, just for the 
sake of saving a trifle, and try to injure me in this way, 
at a time when I was in trouble. How much this added 
to their interest, or to the credit of the stage and its 
owner, I am not able to say; one thing I know, it was 
an injury to me, as I depended upon my customers for 
money to pay for extra expenses, which I had incurred 
by building, and making things good and comfortable 
for their convenience. Some people are so avaricious 
that they must have their own way even if it hurts the 
honest and industrious ones ever so much, as was the 
case, I think, with the one just mentioned. I, however, 
made the best I could of it, hired money to pay some 
debts, and other creditors I pacified with promising them 
they should have their pay as soon as possible. In the 



History of the white mountains. 161 

fall, as I was returning from Lancaster, on horseback, in 
the forenoon, I called at a six mile neighbor's, and there 
borrowed a fan, for the purpose of clearing up* some 
grain, and when coming down what is called Cherry 
Mountain, the horse made a misstep, which brought him 
on his knees ; being encumbered with the fan, I had not 
the means of saving myself, and I was brought suddenly 
across the pommel of the saddle ; this struck an affected 
part of my body, and hurt me very much. The horse 
recovered himself, and I regained my seat upon the sad- 
dle. I went home that afternoon, and assisted in fan- 
ning up twenty bushels of wheat. Standing in the air, 
so that the air might carry away the dust which arose 
from it, and perspiring, I took cold, which settled where 
I was most liable, and that night my bowels began to 
swell and continued to for three days, and a man in 
greater distress than I was, I would think never need be. 
I neither ate more than three crackers nor slept the 
whole time. I had a high fever which caused me to be 
thirsty. I drank freely of cold water, which only in- 
creased my pain. I took physic, one portion after an- 
other, without any effect. I grew worse and worse, un- 
til at length, I told Lucy I must die ; I had no desire to 
live in so much pain. She remonstrated with me, saying 
I had been the means of bringing a large family into the 
world, which was depending upon me for support, and I 
ought not to indulge such thoughts, but should keep 
good courage, and perhaps there would be a relief. I 
asked her when ? Oh ! she said she could not tell when, 
neither did I know how much I could bear until I had 
the trial put upon me. She told me to be patient and 



162 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

perhaps God, who had let me suffer, would in some way, 
cause relief. 'Well, I said I would try one more thing. 
I would take half a tea-cup full, or more, of Epsom Salts, 
dissolved in water ; this was prepared and I swallowed it. 
Now, said I, if this does not answer the purpose, I must 
bid you and the children farewell. I began to pace the 
room ; things looked strangely, and I had such feelings as 
I cannot describe, if I attempt it. This did not last long 
before I felt the salts begin to operate, and I soon found re- 
lief from them. As soon as I was able to ride, I went to 
Littleton to a physician and told him my case ; he said I 
was a tough one and wondered I had lived through it, as 
mortification was near at hand at that time. He then 
gave me some medicine and advised me to be operated 
upon as soon as I could get a surgeon, or it might in 
time cost me my life. Other physicians, also, told me the 
same story. This I thought I could not live through ; I 
still held the idea that I might as well die with it as to 
die while undergoing such an operation, for I thought it 
would certainly kill me. 

In the winter of 1835, as I had expressed some desire 
of selling my place and settling my affairs with the world, 
in consequence of ill health, for I was not able to do 
much or go from home but little, one night in April, 
there came a man from Bartlett to make propositions to 
buy my place. He was then going to Boston, and knew 
of a certain stage company who would buy it, as he 
thought, and, in so doing, would confer a favor on me. 
I thanked him for his good intentions, then went to work 
and bonded it to him for six months, for ten thousand 
dollars ; this he wished to have kept a secret, for a short 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 163 

time. My father coming in, before the close of the busi- 
ness, wanted to know what the man was there for ; but 
as I had promised not to speak about it, I did not tell 
him. The old gentleman said afterward, if I had told 
him or if he had known it, he would have advised me 
better. In a short time the great cry of speculation in 
land" was heard on all sides, and I could have sold it for 
two thousand dollars more than I had bonded it for, but 
as I had never been in the habit of making children's 
bargains, there should be no grunting on my part. 

Now to fill the place of the little one we had parted 
with the year before (as what I had predicted proved 
true, for those who had taken the child, unnamed, and 
nursed it so long, claimed it as their own, having no 
other, and we seemed rather compelled to give it up to 
them), we had another child born in May, which gave 
us ten in number, five sons and five daughters. Nine of 
them are still living. While in this solitary place, so far 
from human assistance, Lucy did not put her trust in 
an arm of flesh to save her, but she trusted to a higher 
power, and was carried through every trial, for which 
she had great reason to be thankful. 

The man coming home from Boston, sent me word 
that I might depend upon the money before the time of 
the bond running out, and I made little other exertions 
to get money to pay my debts with, supposing this would 
be the case. As the bargain was so good, I thought 
there would be no failure upon his part, and depended 
upon it. He went again, and found a good company of 
speculators, who had money deposited in a bank in Bos- 
ton, and every arrangement being made, the papers 



164 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

drawn, in the evening, for eleven thousand dollars, of 
whi<jh ten thousand was to be paid him, and he was to 
have a share with them of one thousand himself ; the 
next morning, when they met again to close the bargain, 
no papers of the evening could be found. This disaffect- 
ed the company, and they would do nothing more about 
it, as they supposed the man thought it was going so 
quickly, that he might have more; therefore, took no 
care of the papers. But the man says that they were 
lost by the clerk who kept the office where they did their 
business. Which of these two was the cause of this mis- 
take, I am unable to say, but it was a sad one for me, as 
I had depended so much upon it, and might have done 
so much better, had it not been for my reliance upon 
this ; but it seems to show the uncertainty of man and 
how little dependence can be placed even on those we 
think our friends. I always thought this man my friend, 
having been acquainted with him for years ; but so it 
happened, and there was no help for it on my part. I 
was informed of all the particulars of this transaction 
by one of the company which thought of buying. I 
asked the man to give me the bond, which he said I 
might have, but I could not get it. He then told me he 
would try again to sell it, and still thought he could dis- 
pose of it advantageously both to himself and to me ; 
but this was all a humbug. He still kept the bond, until 
it died in his hands. Pie, however, lost nothing more 
than his time and trouble, with the exception of what 
he intended to make, as he had not paid me anything 
for it. 

During the summer we had a goodly share of company, 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 165 

notwithstanding the stage drivers' influence, and that of 

some tavern-keepers, who were interested in this con- 
certed plan of leading company to the wrong place ; and. 
many whom they did decoy came to my house, and said 
they were misled and should not be caught again in that 
way ; but as I was then suffering with the complaint be- 
fore mentioned, I felt little ambition about the proceed- 
ing of things, at times, but let them do pretty much as 
they did ; and at other times I felt the abuse, and then 
tried to vindicate my own rights, but this I could not 
carry into effect, owing to the state of my mind, as this 
complaint centered in its effects mostly in my head. 

After this, I strove to sell, but the fever of speculation 
had then begun to abate, and I could not get more offer- 
ed for it than enough to pay what I was then owing, 
which was not as much as the buildings had cost ; this I 
could not in conscience take, as the place was actually 
■worth so much more. So we continued to stay longer 
and do the best we could. 

My complaint increased, at times troubling me very 
much, and this winter, 1836, I was advised to send to 
Concord and obtain some of Dr. Morril's patent medi- 
cine, which was celebrated for effecting great cures ; I 
was told that perhaps it might reach my case. I wrote 
to him, and in return, received the medicine, with direc- 
tions. These I followed as nearly as possible, but it only 
made me worse, instead of better, having a tendency to 
heat and stimulate, which was contrary to the manner 
that my complaint should have been treated ; yet I did 
not think any one was to blame in the matter. My 
friends being anxious that I should get well, said I must 



166 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

keep trying, and if one thing would not do, try another; 
this I did, but all to no purpose. 

This winter, as deer had become plenty in the woods, 
many parties went in pursuit of them, and my eldest son, 
Harvey, possessing the same disposition as others, desir- 
ed to go with them, but as his constitution was not 
equal to that of others, I did not consent to have him go 
with them. 

In March, a gentleman came to my house, who had 
been traveling some years, and his horse being weary, 
he concluded to stay a few days and rest him. He being 
a sportsman, soon contracted for a little fun with Harvey ; 
and as I had ever been against his going into the woods 
with others, I then concluded to let him go. 

They were prepared, accordingly, and in the afternoon 
set out. They steered nearly south of my house, and 
went up the green hill where deer were plenty, and hav- 
ing arrived there in season, built them a camp, and spent 
the night finely, as they expressed it. Early in the 
morning before they had breakfasted, not being ex- 
perienced hunters, as they were anxious to find what 
they were in pursuit of, they left their lodgings and 
victuals all together, and went out upon a tour of obser- 
vation or discovery, intending to return and breakfast 
shortly. After leaving the camp, the dog went into a 
yard of deer, and followed them, and they found there 
was no time to be lost and were obliged to pursue as fast 
as possible, on snow-shoes, or they would lose both dog 
and deer. They soon came up with the dog, who had a 
deer ; they cut his throat and took out his inwards* and 
left him there. The dog pursued others in a similar 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 167 

manner, .and they caught three of them. By this time 
hunger began to call loudly upon them ; as they had been 
in a hurry, and unmindful of the course they had taken, 
they were so bewildered among the hills that they were 
not sure what course to take to make for home. They, 
however, struck upon a small stream, and followed it 
down to the Amanoosuc river, nearly three miles below 
my house, leaving their game behind, tired and hungry 
enough. 

The next morning I observed to them it was not cus- 
tomary for hunters to leave their game in the woods to 
spoil, and thought they had better go and bring theirs 
in, or else we should have to take their word for what 
they had done. The gentleman said he was satisfied to 
let his part remain where it then was, rather than go the 
route over again. He had had a pleasant time and a 
lucky one, in hunting, and found himself at home ; he 
was then on good footing, and thought he would keep so. 
But as Harvey had for so long a time been wanting to 
hunt, I told him he must go and bring home his game ; 
and after getting rested he took a hired man and went 
after it. He, not being yet satisfied, thought he would 
wander about, and perhaps might find a deer, one that 
he could catch and lead home alive, as I had done. The 
south wind beginning to blow strong, and the clouds 
coming on, it was dark before they were aware of it, and 
they could not find the camp, which had been built but 
two days before, where they intended to spend the 
night, and in consequence of the darkness they were 
lost, and could find no other shelter than a large hemlock 
tree. They had barely the means of obtaining fire, and 



168 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

that was all. Their axe, provisions, and everything con- 
ducive to their comfort, were at the camp, while they 
were compelled to stay and draw out a long night, in 
that season of the year. The wind blowing violently 
made the trees writhe and bend on all sides of them. 
The rain descended in great profusion upon them, and 
they had nothing to shelter them from the impending 
storm. But they were fortunate in getting fire in a dry 
tree, which was some satisfaction, but not much comfort 
to them, as all the good this did was to burn one side 
while the other was shivering with the wet and cold. 
The snow being deep, they had nothing to stand upon 
beside their snowshoes, and in this perilous condition 
they spent a long night. They said it was the longest 
one they ever knew. 

They suffered greatly from fear of being killed by fall- 
ing trees, as they fell occasionally near them, but the 
same Preserver who took care of them in sunshine, 
cared for them then, and they were permitted to behold 
the light of another morning with gladness, and in a few 
minutes they found the camp, but a little way from 
where they had spent such a miserable night. They 
then provided themselves with a comfortable breakfast, 
and, after resting awhile, started for home. They had the 
preceding day gathered some of the venison, and tried 
to bring it home, but the snow was so deep and soft that 
their snowshoes would sink deep, and it was with diffi- 
culty they could raise them, and they were obliged to 
leave it there, and make their best way home, where 
they were welcomed. I think parents were never more 
rejoiced than we were when we saw Harvey coming 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 169 

across the field, as our anxiety had been so great through 
the night that neither of us had slept. After that I was 
not troubled any more with being teased by him for 
want of hunting. He was now satisfied. 

But to return again to myself. Sometimes I would 
seem to be quite well, and then I did not mind my sick- 
ness so much as at other times ; then there would a pain 
catch me in the spine of my back, and run over me like 
a flash of lightning, even to the top of my head, and 
every hair would seem to move. Many times I have put 
my hand to the top of my head, and felt the hair, to 
know if it did not stand straight on end, as I could feel 
it 'rise, and sometimes would think it would throw off 
my hat. The pain from my back centered in my head, 
which caused me to be forgetful. They who had ever 
been my nearest and best friends had become my ene- 
mies, as it appeared to me, and from no other cause than 
my being sick, and in trouble, when I most needed con- 
solation, and this caused me sometimes to be irritable, 
which was not exactly my natural disposition, but I 
knew not how to help it then. My appetite was gone, 
and I was attended by a cough, and afflicted by raising 
great quantities of phlegm ; my blood was reduced, and 
I would have extremes of heat and cold pass through my 
veins, one after another. Sometimes in the morning I 
would think I could get up, and should be smart that 
day, but after getting up, and only walking in another 
room, I would begin to shiver with the cold, and have to 
go to bed again, and have my pillows warmed and placed 
on my back, and blankets warmed and put upon me. In 
this way I lived* by turns, until I was returning from 
8 



170 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

Conway in the stage, having been down on business in 
company with Dr. Bemis, from Boston, and some other 
gentlemen beside him, when I was attacked with this 
complaint, and had, in the stage, two spasms, which re- 
quired the strength of a man to hold me. This sudden 
and unexpected shock was below my father's, and I did 
not then think I should live to get home, but I meant to 
go along as I could. I had the kindest assistance from 
the gentlemen in the stage, and arrived at home, where 
I soon after had another spasm. Lucy sent immediately 
for a physician, who arrived, and took away a portion of 
blood, which soon relieved me. This kind and humane 
Dr. Bemis, who was then staying at my house, became 
acquainted with Dr. Rodgers, from New York, who had 
previously, before he started, been directed to put up 
with me, but was influenced by some other persons to 
stop with my neighbor. Dr. Bemis informed Dr. Rodg- 
ers of my situation, and he came to see me, told me un- 
less I would consent to have an operation, I could not 
live long, as the consumption was near upon me ; said he 
would go and get his instruments, while another physi- 
cian Avho was with him, should stop and make preparations 
for the same. This I did not consent to, neither did I 
refuse it. The doctor returned in a short time, and due 
preparations being made, went upstairs with them, when 
the operation was performed. 

How estimable is the character of a good physician, or 
of any really good man ! While " man's inhumanity to 
man makes countless,thousands mourn," so the kind min- 
istrations of man to man proves that God gives us in 
charge of his angels. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 171 

I then came down with them, and soon found relief. 
I now could sit in a chair much better than for months 
before. The doctor came and dressed my wound sev- 
eral times himself, and then showed another person how 
to manage it, and when he took his leave, I asked him 
how much I should pay him? He said not anything, 
but he expressed a desire for me to get well. For this 
act of kindness I am indebted to Dr. Bemis for his in- 
terceding as he did in my behalf, and Dr. Rodgers for 
his assistance. I am well persuaded, had it not been for 
them, I should not now have been here a living man. 
Times had now become hard, and my creditors, who had 
waited on me, were afraid they should not get their pay, 
because my dissolution, as they thought, was near at 
hand, and in the course of the preceding summer they 
had come upon me like a set of armed men. I turned 
out all my personal property, even to the last cow 
and some articles I turned out three times, I was after- 
ward informed, but the state of my mind was such, 
owing to the pain in my head, I was not sensible of what 
I did. In the fall, before I was able to get about much, 
a deputy sheriff came from Lancaster forme to pay a sum 
of three hundred dollars, which I was owing the bank, 
and one more demand due a farmer for about forty dol- 
lars, principal, but as he had taken care not to have it 
reduced by interest and cost, which he had caused to be 
doubled, I told him I had then nothing to pay with, but 
desired him to be patient, as they were not suffering for 
the money, and they and every other creditor should 
have their honest dues, if they would only show me len- 
ity. He then left me, after obtaining a promise, on my 



172 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

part, that as soon as I was able to ride, I would go to 
Lancaster and see them myself, and some days after, ac- 
cording to promise, I went, and what do you think these 
men did ? Why, for want thereof, took my poor and 
emaciated body and cast it into prison, although a 
brother of mine and one of Lucy's, offered to give them 
bonds for my appearance at any time whenever they 
should call for me. But this did not seem to pacify 
them ; they were determined upon other purposes ; their 
object was money, and they refused to take them. I 
was j)ut in jail, and this place was to me a complete hell 
upon earth, now shut up from air and the society of my 
beloved family. 

My mind was weak, and the time hanging heavily, 
forced me to reflect on human nature ; this overcame 
me, and I was obliged to call for the advice of physicians 
and a nurse. Here I was attended with a sort of spasm, 
similar to the former ones, and was really so unwell that 
one of my physicians affectionately told me he thought 
I should never pass the Gun hill that was near the bury- 
ing-ground ; that was as much as to say I should die. 
He then asked me if they should not send for Lucy. I 
told him no ; it was enough for me to be there and not 
her. Here they kept me twenty-five days in this way. 
I had applied to an attorney before I went in, to make 
arrangements for me to take the benefit of the law, in 
such cases made and provided, and when the time ar- 
rived they told me I could not do it without perjuring 
myself. I told them something should be done, for I 
would stay there no longer. They then concluded to 
take our brothers for sureties, and let me go home. This 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 173 

added nothing to their interest, neither did it help them 
immediately to their pay. They were secured before. 
I had good signers with me on the notes, and my farm 
was holden, but when a man gets going down hill, it 
matters not what shape it is in, there are enough stand- 
ing ready to give him a kick and help him down. They 
have since got their pay, but the tanner dares not look 
me in the face and say, How do you do ? but passes by 
as soon as convenient ; they will have to answer to their 
Judge. Lucy wrote to him in the most affectionate 
terms, intreating him in the name of a husband and a 
father to go and see me, and advise some means to let 
me come home, and sent it by the hand of her son, who 
handed it to him ; he read the contents, and put the let- 
ter in his pocket, and never came near me till the day 
that I was set at liberty. 

Having been for so long a time racked with pain, and 
having now these troubles, I did not seem to get much 
better of my complaint, and was advised by some friends 
and my family to give up my farm and retire to a more 
secluded spot, where health might be regained. Accord- 
ingly, for that present time, I changed situations with a 
brother of Lucy's, and moved to Guildhall, in Vermont, 
the place of our nativity. 

Before we left we sent to those men to whom I had 
mortgaged my farm, to come and take possession of it, 
which they did, and I suppose, in a lawful manner, put 
up an advertisement in the house to sell it on the lGth 
of March, 1837. It was then subject to two mortgages, 
Uncle William's was one and the other was theirs. The 
amount of theirs was to be made known at the time of 



174 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

sale, but as it appeared, no one came to buy, therefore 
they had the whole management of the affair to them- 
selves. At this time Lucy was there, and I expressed a 
regret to leave the place where we had performed so 
much hard labor, and had done everything to make the 
mountain scenery fashionable, and had just got in a way 
to make ourselves comfortable, and to be able to make 
our friends feel at home. It was hard to give it all up, 
and let it go into the hands of others. One of them 
made her this reply, saying, fifty years hence it will be 
as in old time ; there would be those rise up who knew 
not Joseph, and it would not then be known who did all 
these things. They then rented it for one year, and at 
the expiration of that year rented it again to the same 
man for five hundred dollars per annum. 

While we were at Guildhall, as there was a sugar lot 
on the farm, I thought I would make sugar that spring, 
with the help of my little boys, and as Lucy was always 
anxious about me when absent, particularly then on ac- 
count of my health and misfortunes, I happening one 
night to stay away later than usual, she thought some- 
thing might have befallen me, as I had only one boy 
with me, so after putting her children to rest at nine 
o'clock, she took a lantern and steered for the woods. 
Never having been there before, she lost her way and 
was actually under the necessity of calling for help. The 
boy having amused himself peeling birch bark, while I 
was engaged in boiling sap, we put some of this dry bark 
on the end of a pole which was long, set it on fire, and 
raised it up so high in the air that she saw it and then 
came to us and staid until we could all go home together, 
where we arrived at eleven o'clock. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 175 

We remained on this place ten months, where we 
raised barely enough to support our family. As Lucy's 
brother must lease our farm at the mountains, it being 
put into other hands, he was then wanting his own to live 
on, so I went down the Connecticut river one mile, and 
engaged a large two story dwelling-house, which was 
then unoccupied, for the farm had been rented to its 
nearest neighbor, and I obtained the use of it until April, 
when his lease would run out. Sometime this winter, a 
gentleman, by the name of Jonathan Tucker, Esq., who 
had an execution against the farm I was then living 
upon, came from Saco, Maine, and the marshal of the 
state came also, and set off, to this Mr. Tucker, nearly 
fifty acres of the best part of the land, with the barn. 
This is the very place where our grandmother lived when 
she had so much trouble with the Indians. I have tilled 
the same ground where their little log cabin used to 
stand, which was near the bank of the river. Afterward, 
they or others built upon higher ground. When this 
land was set off, I asked Mr. Tucker if I might have the 
privilege of improving it ? He told me to stay and do 
the best I could, and if it were redeemed he should have 
nothing more to do with it, and the defendant in the case 
had six months for redemption ; if it were not redeemed, 
I could have a living from it. According to human 
nature, in these days, reader, how do you think this man 
let us live here after the redemption ran out ? I wrote 
him an account of our management and asked him if I 
might pay the lawyer who had assisted in obtaining this 
land? He said I might. 

Thus we lived upon this beautiful farm, while we had 



176 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

the privilege of raising every kind of grain and vegetable, 
such as corn, rye, oats, peas, beans, potatoes ; and Ave had 
a first rate garden, surrounded with currants, gooseber- 
ries and plums. As the river went round this meadow in 
a semicircle and made a bow in some places, there was 
capital fishing, where my boys could catch plenty of 
pickerel, some trout, dace, eels, etc. This made quite a 
market place, as these fish make grand living when cooked 
with good salt pork. Here we could send our children 
to school, six and seven months in a year. One winter 
we furnished the school with nine scholars, our own 
children, for which we received the credit of the commit- 
tee, for, as the law was, every scholar drew a proportion 
of the public money, and the more scholars there were, 
the longer the school continued. We likewise had every 
privilege which is common in towns, such as meetings 
for divine worship and good society among our own rela- 
tives and friends. 

As we had always been used to labor ourselves, we in- 
structed our children, when quite young, to be diligent 
in whatever they could do ; and this seemed to be a great 
help to them as they could earn their own living, and be- 
ing accustomed to work at home, they were not ashamed 
to go abroad. When they were not at school, those of 
them that could be spared from the farm and dairy, for 
we had cows and made butter and cheese, could support 
themselves at home or abroad, respectably ; while I could 
do mason work, as I had assisted in helping plaster my 
own buildings and learned how to make mortar, and 
could, then, spread it well, and I could earn my dollar 
per day when I worked at my trade. In this and similar 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 177 

ways, according to the customs of New England, we liv- 
ed on this beautiful farm, by paying the taxes and keep- 
ing the buildings in repair, which we consider to be an 
act of benevolence from this Mr. Tucker, and for which 
we will return our gratitude. There are but few men in 
these days who would do so much even for a relative, 
without some direct condensation from him, if nothing 
more than a promise, for which he never made me a re- 
quest. But the fifth year a lawyer who lived in Lancas- 
ter, by some means obtained a lease of the place and we 
were obliged to give him half we raised on this piece of 
land belonging to Mr. Tucker. There seemed to be 
quite a contrast now, after living in the way just describ- 
ed and now obliged to go halves with this lawyer, which 
did not exactly suit my family, working hard as usual, 
when they had the whole before. 

In 1843, I hired the large three story building, which 
was then em]3ty, in sight of where we had lived twenty 
years, at the mountains, and here we are at the present 
time in 1845. 

It may be an inquiry, how these things have come to 
be written ? Lucy had been advised to keep a memoran- 
dum of things as they occurred, for there seemed to be 
something very extraordinary in our affairs in life, which 
was an inducement for her labor, in which she has taken 
great pleasure, in order to be able to show the public our 
way of trying to get a living, by dealing honestly with 
men, and having a clear conscience as regards my man- 
agement with mankind. Moreover, the men to whom I 
had given up my farm, said they were willing for us to 
have it again, by our refunding them whatever they had 
8* 



178 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

paid out, with the interest and cost, provided Lucy would 
publish this history, which, after being published, she 
could sell and it would be an assistance. As we were 
then retired from the cares of other people and had noth- 
ing but our own family to look after, she found time. 

It is the request of some of my friends to have a gen- 
ealogy of my father's family. Abel Crawford is now 
eighty years of age, when this year, 1845, shall have 
passed away, and he was the first man that ever rode a 
horse on the top of Mount Washington. He was then 
aged seventy-five, and is now a well, stout, athletic man, 
capable of doing work and business. My mother, who 
was Hannah Iiosebrook, is in her seventy-fourth year, 
enjoying tolerably good health, after having raised a 
family of nine children. Erastus, their eldest son, was 
born in 1791, and grew up a large, stout, and tall man, 
six feet six inches high when standing barefoot. After 
he was twenty-one he went into the State of New York, 
where he lived and married, and his wife had two sons, 
and then he died there in 1825 ; these two sons of his 
are now nearly the same height their father was when 
he was living. Ethan Allen is my name, and I am fifty- 
three, with much better health than when I left the 
mountains. Stephen was born in 1796, and he died 
when he was fifteen years of age, with, the consumption. 
Everett has a wife and four children, three sons and one 
daughter, and lives in Jefferson, New Hampshire. Dear- 
born lives in Oxford, New Hampshire, and has a wife 
who has borne him ten children, six daughters and four 
sons. Thomas J. lives at the Notch House, which I 
built in 1828, with his wife and four children, all of 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 179 

them daughters. Hannah II. is married to Nathaniel T. 
P. Davis, and they live in Hart's Location, with my par- 
ents, who have lived there fifty years ; she has two chil- 
dren, both daughters. Abel J. has a wife and one child, 
a son, and lives in Jefferson, N. H. William II. Harri- 
son still lives at home with Mr. Davis, enjoying life at 
his ease, without any care or trouble of a family, living 
in a " state of single blessedness." Uncle William Rose- 
brook, who was spoken of in the first part of this his- 
tory, is seventy-two years of age, and still lives with us, 
enjoying good health. He never was married. Lucy, 
my wife, has had ten children, five sons and five daugh- 
ters. Harvey "Howe, not having a strong constitution, 
learned the art of making wagons, and has gone into the 
State of Ohio. Our second son died when an infant. 
Lucy Laurilla, Ellen Wile, Eluthera Porter, Ethan, Ste- 
phen, Persis Julia, Placentia Whidden and William, 
make out our number. 

And now my friends, who have a little time to spare, 
or whose health is impaired, come to the mountains and 
make us a visit. You -will find us here, and there shall 
be no pains spared to make your time pass pleasantly 
during your stay with us, either in waiting t>n you or 
giving you all the information in our power, and, as of 
old, what we lack in substance we will endeavor to make 
up in good will. We gratefully return our warmest 
thanks for the public patronage which we formerly re- 
ceived while at the mountains, and we still hope by our 
united exertions to continue to merit it. When you get 
to Conway, if coming in that direction, you will find ex- 
cellent treatment in a Temperance House, kept by Colo- 



180 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

nel Hill, the postmaster, where you will have entered the 
mountain scenery, and where, in fair weather, you will 
see the ranges of hills, or mountains, rising one above 
another along the way, and when passing, reflect on the 
mighty works of God, and think what the labor of man, 
in a few years, has accomplished. 

The town of Conway, situated about twenty miles 
south of the White Mountains, began to be settled about 
the year 1776, by emigrants from Concord, Durham, Lee 
and the adjoining towns. The glowing accounts which 
the hunters gave of the extensive tracts of interval bor- 
dering on the Saco river, which runs through the same, 
the fertility of the soil, the exuberance of its forests, es- 
pecially its sugar maples and white pines, together with 
its numerous wild animals and fowls, all conspired to fa- 
cilitate its settlement. At the close of the Revolution- 
ary war, in 1783, Conway had become more numerously 
settled than almost any other inland town of its age and 
size in New Hampshire. Its early inhabitants, however, 
were obliged to endure great hardships in conveying 
their furniture and provisions through a wilderness of 
sixty miles in extent upon pack-horses and hand-sleds. 

They sotm began the lumber business by floating logs 
and masts down the Saco to its mouth, where they re- 
ceived bread stuff and other necessaries of life in ex- 
change, the moose and deer at the same time affording 
thern a tolerable supply of wild meat, and their white 
and rock maple trees an abundance of excellent sugar, 
The rivers and ponds were also well stored with wild 
geese, ducks and fish of various kinds. In consequence 
of these conveniences, the richness of its soil and its 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 181 

healthy climate, Conway has now become a very pleas- 
ant town, dotted with several handsome villages, ami 
containing about two thousand inhabitants. 

Colonel David Page, Joshua Heath, Ebenezer Bur- 
bank, John and Josiah Doloff, were the first who moved 
witli their families to Conway. They came by the way 
of Saco, in the State of Maine, thence up the river and 
across Lovewell's Pond, to the Seven Lots (so called) in 
Fryeburg, which town adjoins Conway, and had com- 
menced settling in 1764, by Moses Ames, Esq., and six 
other families. 

It was at the head of this pond, which lies about two 
miles east of Conway, that Capt. Love well and his com- 
pany fought their sanguinary battle with Capt. Paugus 
and his Indians, on the 8th of May, 1725, and in which 
both commanders, and three fourths of their men, were 
slain, consisting at the commencement of thirty-four 
Englishmen and eighty savages. These Indians belonged 
to the Pequaket tribe, inhabiting the country from the 
Notch of the White Mountains to the Great Falls, on 
the Saco river, about sixty miles in extent, which has 
borne the general name of Pequaket ever since, from 
that circumstance.' The town of Bartlett, lying between 
Conway and the Notch of the White Mountains, origi- 
nally consisted of several locations, granted to William 
Stark, Vere Royce and others, in consideration of their 
services as officers in the French w r ar in Canada. Enoch 
Emery, Humphrey Emery and Nathaniel Herriman, be- 
gan their settlement in lower Bartlett, just before the 
commencement of the Revolutionary war, their land be- 
ing given them by Capt. Stark, for settling. In 1777 



182 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

Samuel Willey, Esq., Daniel Fox and Paul Jills, from 
Lee, purchased a tract of land in upper Bartlett, and 
commenced clearing the same. Their horses which they 
had turned into an adjoining meadow to graze, became 
dissatisfied with their new location, together with their 
manner of living and started for home. Instead of fol- 
lowing the windings of the Saco in the path they went 
up, they struck off in a straight line. In crossing the 
first intervening mountain, it is supposed they became 
separated and consequently bewildered. Diligent search 
was made for them but all in vain. 

The next spring a hunter's dog brought part of a 
horse's leg into the road in Conway. From a particular 
mark on the shoe attached to the foot, it was ascertained 
to have belonged to Mr. Willey's horse. On following 
the dog's track, about sixty rods from the road, the car- 
cass was found. From the appearance of the large ex- 
tent of bushes browsed, it was concluded that the horse 
lived till some time in March. None of the rest of the 
horses were ever heard of. Mr. Willey, not liking his 
situation in Bartlett, sold his land there soon after the 
loss of his horse, and purchased an original right in Con- 
way, where he lived an independent farmer, until his 
death on the 14th of June, 1844, at the age of ninety-one 
years, being the last original male inhabitant of that town. 
An anecdote of him is considered worth relating here. 
Owing to the scarcity of pro visions among the early set- 
tlers and the vigilance of the hunters, moose and deer 
soon became scarce ; but bears remained numerous for a 
long time and are yet somewhat plenty. These animals 
often proved an intolerable nuisance to the farmers, de- 
stroying their sheep, hogs and other creatures. 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 183 

One night in the summer of 1800, Mr. Willey was 
waked from his sleej) by the noise of his sheep running 
furiously by his house. Springing from his bed to a win- 
dow, he discovered by the light of the moon, an enor- 
mous bear in close pursuit of them. Calling his eldest 
son, instantly, then a stout boy about fourteen years old, 
they sallied forth with their gun, and nothing on but 
their night clothes, to pursue this fell destroyer. By this 
time the sheej) had made a turn and wire coming, pell 
mell, toward the house with the bear at their heels. 
Secreting themselves a moment until the sheep had pass- 
ed, Mr. Willey sprang forth with his gun to salute his 
ursalean majesty. Old bruin, stopping to see what his 
ghostly visitor meant, was instantly fifed at and severely 
wounded. Mr. Willey and his boy, with their axes, of- 
fered him a closer combat, and he readily accepted the 
challenge. After two or three charges they considered it 
the better part of valor to retreat to the house, which 
they did, closely pursued by the bear. While they were 
in the house reloading their gun, the enraged animal 
went round to a back window, through which he endeav- 
ored to enter the house, to be revenged of his antagon- 
ists. The room adjoining being dark, and Mrs. Willey 
supposing the bear to be on the other side of the house, 
in attempting to look out through the window, put her 
head within a few inches of his nose. On discovering 
her perilous situation, she gave one of those piercing fe- 
male shrieks which make the welkin ring, and fell back 
on the floor. By this time they had reloaded their gun 
and now issued forth to renew the combat. But owing 
to the bad state of the powder, they were unable to fire 



184 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

the gun again. Perceiving the bear to be gaining 
strength, and now showing signs of an intention to re- 
treat to the woods, after a few moments' consultation, 
they determined to make another desperate effort to kill 
him with their axes. Mr. Willey, after receiving strong 
assurances from his boy that he would stand by him, ap- 
proached the bear a second time, and by one well direct- 
ed blow on his head, felled him to the ground. 

After passing Conway you will come into Bartlett, and I 
will give you some account of the early settlements there, 
as I received it from Richard Garland, Esq., in his eighty- 
second year. His intellect and memory are good now in 
his advanced age, and he says that in December, 1783, 
he was one inhabitant among five who came into that 
location, and that there were but few inhabitants for a dis- 
tance of thirty-six miles, mostly woods, seventy-five miles 
from Dover, where they had to go for their provisions ; 
and then they had them to draw on a hand-sleigh, in the 
winter, over a little bushed path, without a bridge. The 
people in Conway, when the streams were open, went 
down the Saco river in boats, or rather canoes, which 
they made out of a large tree by digging it out and mak- 
ing it large enough to carry several hundred weight, and 
when they came to a place where the falls prevented 
their passing, they would unlade their boats and carry 
their provisions and boats until they came to a smooth 
place again. At one time the inhabitants got out of pro- 
visions and sent for new supplies, and there came on a 
heavy rain, and the Saco river was risen to that height, 
they could not get back for some time, and those they 
left of their families had to stint themselves to live on 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 185 

seven potatoes per diem, until their return with provis- 
ions. 

After some years this Mr. Garland had got a small 
piece of land cultivated, and it then needed plowing, and 
two of his neighbors offered him a team, if he could get 
a plow; he then went seven miles and borrowed the 
nearest one, in the morning, brought it home on his 
back, and his neighbor used it for him, while he, the 
same day, did a great day's work, at piling timber. At 
noon, he went one and a half miles and bought fifty 
pounds of hay to feed his team on, and this hay he car- 
ried home on his back ; at night he carried this same 
plow home on his own back, which made him thirty-one 
miles, and half the distance with a load, beside doing a 
good day's work, and then, as he says, was welcomed to 
partake of the bounties which a kind wife had provided, 
and then could sit down in their humble cot with her and 
their family of young children, without fear or trouble. 
As they at that period began to raise enough to support 
their families, they had only seventeen miles to go to 
mill, and in the winter God provided them with a good 
bridge of ice, and in the summer they crossed the Saco 
river in canoes. His family in those days, as the old 
gentleman says, was a happy one ; but he did not realize 
it then as he now does, while he can look back to that 
time when he would work hard all day, and at night 
come in and take his sivpper ; then he would in the even- 
ing return to his work, and his wife, after putting her 
children to rest, would go out with him and j>ick up the 
small brush and keep him a good light to work by, until 
nine o'clock. She then would go in and make us a cup 



186 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

of tea, which we could partake of together, and then we 
could retire to rest, happy in our humble engagements, 
trying to get an honest living. 

In 1790, in the month of June, Pequaket being in- 
corporated into towns, Bartlett was incorporated, under 
Governor Bartlett, and called after his name. In August, 
they had a town meeting and chose town officers. Jona- 
than Tasker, first selectman ; John Pendexter, second ; 
Thomas Spring, third ; Richard Garland, first constable 
and collector of taxes in Bartlett. The next winter they 
had a school. Moses Bigelow was the first teacher of this 
school, of about fifteen scholars ; now they have their 
large schools, which will average, in the year 1844, over 
one hundred and fifty scholars, and they have one hun- 
red and fifty voters in this small valley amidst these 
mountains. There was a time when one of these inhabit- 
ants had got entirely out of meat, and came to this Mr. 
Garland for some to carry into the woods, while he went 
and found some moose to make meat for his family. Mr. 
Garland gave him half he had himself, and then the man 
steered along for the woods, and in a few days, he return- 
ed as rich as any man could be, seemingly, with news of 
having killed eight moose, fine and fat. He then gave 
Mr. Garland three hundred pounds of this meat, provid- 
ed he would take a hand-sleigh and go bring it in, which 
he did, and he now says that a bigger man never need be 
than he was then with this supply, great as it was, of 
meat. 

As they had begun to make a road, some people in 
Portland offered to give any man a barrel of rum, if he 
would get it up through the Notch. Capt. Rosebrook 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 187 

volunteered his services, and went to Bartlett with his 
horse and ear, and on the other side of the Saco made a 
raft, rolled on this proffered barrel, then stood in water 
up to his knees, and with a long pole pushed it across. 
He then, with the assistance of others, this Mr. Garland 
was one, put it upon his car and carried it up through 
the Notch, at least as much of it as was left through the 
politeness of those who helped manage the affair. This 
was the first article brought up through where the road 
goes now, and the first article of loading ever brought 
down, was a barrel of tobacco, raised in Lancaster by one 
Titus Brown, and the road was so crooked, they were 
forced to cross the stream, as Mr. Garland says, thirty- 
two times to get from Bartlett to the top of the Notch, 
where now is the Notch House and the post-office, where 
Thomas J. Crawford now lives. The first white child 
born in Conway, was Jeremiah Lovejoy, eighty-two years 
ago. Leaving Conway you Will pass along through Bart- 
lett till you come to Hart's Location. This was located 
to Thomas Chadbourne, by Governor Wentworth, under 
the crown of Great Britain, for services rendered by 
Chadbourne in the old Indian wars, and was called 
Chadbourne's Location. Chadbourne sold it to Richard 
Hart for fifteen hundred dollars, and then the name was 
changed to Hart's Location. Then you will come against 
Sawyer's Rock, which comes down near the river, so that 
there is just room for the road. This derived its name 
from the circumstance of Nash and Sawyer, when they 
first were bushing the path for a horse to travel in, 
through the Notch ; they got down as far as here, and 
camped for the night, and in the morning they emptied 



188 HISTOEY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

their junk bottle of its contents, and Sawyer broke it 
against the rock, and gave it the name of Sawyer's 
Rock, and it has ever since borne that name. And 
this was the first temperance meeting on the Saco 
river,- or, so far as my remembrance is concerned, in his- 
tory, in the White Mountains. 

Some time after this there were two men riding on 
horseback, by the names of Blake and Moulton, and they 
saw near the rock two moose at play. They sprang from 
their horses and frightened them. They attempted to 
jump the rock, but the men, having the advantage, 
caught one of them by the hind leg, and with a jack- 
knife, cut off his heel cords, and hamstrung him. They 
then went up and cut his throat. As they were travelers 
and had not the means of saving the meat, they went 
down to Bartlett, and gave it to the inhabitants, who 
were glad to receive it. This happened, father thinks, 
forty years ago. 

There are in this Location eight voters and twenty-six 
children under sixteen years of age, and they had a 
school-house built in 1844. It accommodates only four 
families, on account of the distance they live apart, and 
the rest have to board their children from home, if they 
give them a chance for a school. 

Then you will come up to my father's. Here the stage 
stops and changes horses. Here the traveler may stop 
for a time, if he chooses, as Mr. Davis, last season, made 
a horse path from his house to the top of Mount Wash- 
ington. This was done with considerable expense to him, 
and for no other reason than to accommodate those who 
might prefer going from there on the mountains, as they 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 189 

had several fine views in going that way. He charges 
the same as others do for guiding travelers up the 
mountains. Gentlemen and ladies also can ascend. 
Then you will, after leaving father's, come to what is 
called the old Notch House, which place was settled, 
Uncle William says, about fifty-three years ago, by one 
Mr. Davis, who first began there ; since which period, 
others have lived there for a short time, until Samuel 
Willey bought the place, and repaired it. He with his 
family lived there, till that dreadful night in August, 
when all were destroyed by the great storm, described 
in the- foregoing pages; then John Pendexter built the 
barn, and that stands there still, and he improved it. 
Other have lived there, by turns, until last season Mr. 
Fabyan made thorough repairs, both on the house and 
stable, and this season he has built a new frame for a 
house, seventy feet by forty, for himself, so that by next 
season, he may be prepared for company that, visiting 
the mountains, wish to spend a portion of their time at 
the Willey House. This place which is now nothing but 
sand and gravel, was over a beautiful valley, covered 
with maple, and there used to be a great quantity of sugar 
made there. Then you will come up through the Notch 
to Thomas Crawford's, called the Notch House. He has 
a road to the mountain, nearly in the same place I first 
traveled, which was the first path ever made to the top 
of Mount Washington. You will pass along to where a 
man and his wife were once traveling, with one horse, in 
what used to be called a pung, and met in their way a 
moose. The snow was deep, and he, thinking he had a 
right to his path, refused to turn out ; but when they 



190 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

came near, the moose jumped over the whole concern 
and just cleared the woman's head. 

Then from the Notch four miles will bring you to the 
old Rosebrook stand, where once stood, in or near the 
road, a shed seventy feet long. As some hunters were 
pursuing a moose, he came into the road and went direct- 
ly through this shed, passed on by the house, and made 
for the river, and went down the falls, dislocating one of 
his knee joints. The hunters followed about three miles, 
caught him and made a grand feast of him. It was in 
those days no uncommon thing to find these animals at 
any time when they were hunted for. 

This ancient Rosebrook place is thirty-six miles from 
Conway, eighteen from Lancaster, eighteen from Fran- 
conia, and a good road we now have over Cherry 
Mountain, where once was a good turnpike, and it may 
be traveled with safety both summer and winter toward 
Jefferson. This place, also, is eighteen miles from 
Littleton, and stages run six times a week alternately, 
coming from Conway Mondays, Thursdays, and Satur- 
days, resting on Sundays, and arrive at either place, at 
night, fifty-four miles apart. When you get to the old 
Rosebrook place, you are in the most romantic scenery, 
perhaps, this side of the mountains. 

The reader may suppose me partial to this place, and 
well he may, as I have lived here so long, and have seen 
good times with my friends, who extend all over the land 
in every direction ; from this place, also, we have a good 
horse path to Trinity Height, the summit of Mount 
Washington. Nearly seven miles of this road is over a 
comparatively level surface, and two and one quarter 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 191 

miles is on rising ground ; and many have seated them- 
selves on a horse at the house, and never dismounted un- 
til they have been to the top of the mountain and return- 
ed. This can be accomplished in six to nine hours. 
Parties often stop by the way and fish for trout. These 
in old times were plenty, and of large size ; but in this 
day, having so many fishing for them, they do not have 
time to grow very large before they are called for. But 
they are excellent, although small. Trout is the only 
kind of fish caught in these cold streams about the hills, 
and not much game is left excepting deer, which live 
here yet, and are caught now and then by having good 
dogs to find and follow them until tired out ; sometimes 
the dog kills them, sometimes the hunter. Sometimes 
they are driven to the meadow, sometimes to the pond, 
where they are hunted after in canoes, and taken or 
killed. 

As in the providence of God, everything changes in« 
this world, the weather now is not so cold as it formerly 
w r as. We have now scarcely a week of steady cold, when, 
in former times, I have heard grandmother say, she has 
seen six weeks at a time that neither the heat from her 
log cabin, nor the sun would soften the snow so much as 
to cause one drop of water to fall from the eaves of the 
house. We now seldom have over two feet of snow at a 
time, and in years past it was no uncommon thing to 
have from six to nine feet. I have seen nine feet meas- 
ured upon a level surface, and have known the snow to 
fall in less than twenty-four hours, twenty-seven inches. 
Yet we have early and late frosts in the spring, and early 



192 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

frosts in the fall, which prevent our raising such things 
as the frost injures; but we generally can raise good oats 
and potatoes, and sometimes wheat, rye, and peas. In 
1820, I raised some sound corn, but have never since had 
any get ripe. There is not a better place in New Eng- 
land for cattle and sheep than this. Goats and mules 
would do well, but they are too troublesome. 

We can now go to Portland and back with a team, in 
from six to eight days ; in old times, it has taken twenty- 
two days to go from Lancaster to Portland, and back. 
The snow was so deep at one time that they were obliged 
to leave their horses seven days in one place before they 
could be moved. The average time of snow in the fall 
is about the first of November, and it goes off, generally, 
the first of April, so that about the middle of May, we 
here begin to plow and prepare our ground for raising 
such things as the climate will permit. Fowls do well 
here, such as ducks, geese, chickens ; and the turkey here 
is excellent. We have kept pigeons, but they never 
seemed to increase to do much, only serving to amuse 
the children. Bees do well here and are common in the 
woods. They make the best flavored honey, as they have 
such a variety of wild flowers to extract their sweets 
from. As for pork, we do not raise enough here to sup- 
port our own families, but depend on buying, principally, 
for our own use. There is some maple sugar made in 
different places about these mountains, but little in com- 
parison to what there was in former times. And the 
probable amount of trout caught from one year to anoth- 
er, according to my judgment, in the Amanoosuc and 



HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



193 



Saco rivers, is from six to seven hundffed weight. The 
average weight is from four ounces to eight. There 
have been some caught here, forty years ago, that would 
weigh four and five pounds, and many and Large ones 
now are found in the vicinity, in several directions. And 
salmon have been taken here, fifty years since, of ten 
pounds weight. Three or four hundred different Alpine 
White Mountain plants are found about here, and there 
are still found on some of the slides, near the Willey, <>r 
old Notch House, handsome minerals or crystallized 
quartz. There used to be great quantities of fur taken 
around these mountains, but wild animals have all been 
hunted so much, they are getting to be scarce ; but there 
is some sable or martin, and some few other animals 
caught every year. 

I will give the minutes of the weather : — 



1844. 



Jul;y 


9 2 


c« 


23 


tt 


24 


a 


25 


it 


26 


a 


27 


a 


28 


ei 


29 


(< 


30 


(< 


31 



OS 

•50 




-to 
=0 

ss 


38 


87 


60 


67 


78 


66 


49 


79 


60 


52 


m 


51 


38 


70 


56 


28 


68 


56 


30 


78 


54 


54 


78 


63 


50 


71 


64 


64 


66 


58 



1845. 



January 30 . 

31. 

February 1 . 

2. 

<t o 

o . 

4. 
5. 

6. 

7. 
8. 



y. 






g 


*S 


10 


15 


*1 


*22 


*2 


*33 


*6 


*34 


*8 


*2 


10 


20 


18 


6 


2 


2 


4 


*1 


6 



a 
s 

CO 



*4 

*5 
*21 
*12 

*6 
4 

14 

1 



This is the register of the thermometer for a.d. 1844- 
5, when, on the whole, we had a moderate winter, for 
this part of the country, and the summers, in general, 



*Below zero. 
9 



194 HISTORY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

are not so warm as they were formerly. As the land is 
cleared, perhaps the winds in summer have greater 
range, render the atmosphere more pleasant; and in 
winter, snow that used to fall upon the stumps and 
bushes, and all level places, is blown off by the winds, 
and there is generally a cooler, more dry, and salubrious 
air. 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE. 



The White Mountains long noted for beauty and 
grandeur, have become the most popular summer resort 
in New England; and are yearly visited by many thou- 
sand people from every part of the country. 

MOUNT WASHINGTON. 

The highest summit of the White Mountains, Mount 
Washington, is 6,293 feet above the sea level, and in ex- 
tent and beauty the view from it is not surpassed by 
anything east of the Rocky Mountains, including, as it 
does, a wide stretch of territory in New Hampshire, 
Maine and Vermont, with the ocean, and mountains in 
Massachusetts, New York and Canada, visible in clear 
weather. The Summit House, on the very top of the 
Mountain, accommodates two hundred guests. 

The ascent is made by the railway from the west side, 
and the carriage road from the east. The railroad is 
three miles long, and has an average rise of one foot in 
four, the steepest being thirteen and a half inches to the 
yard. The grade is overcome by means of cog-wheels 
working in a cog-rail in the center of the track, and 
powerful brakes on engines and cars insure safety. No 

*95 



196 MOUNT WASHINGTON. 

passenger has been injured since the road was opened. 
The running time is one and one-half hours, and only- 
one car is run with each engine. 

The carriage road to the summit is eight miles long, 
and has an average grade of twelve feet in one hundred. 
The ascent is made by stages in four hours, and the de- 
scent in an hour and a half. 

THE CRAWFORD NOTCH. 

The Crawford, or White Mountain Notch, is a narrow 
pass about twelve miles long, presenting some of the 
finest scenery on the continent. The Saco River flows 
through the valley, and for miles the mountains rise on 
either side over 2,000 feet. The Portland and Ogdens- 
burg railroad, which runs along the mountain side, com- 
manding a view of the valley, in the eight miles from 
Bemis station to the Crawford House has an average 
grade of 116 feet to the mile. Observation cars are run 
through the Notch. 

The entrance to the Notch, at the northern end, near 
the Crawford House, was originally only twenty-six feet 
wide, leaving just room for the river, but was widened 
to allow the passage of a carriage road and afterward of 
the railroad track. A large rock just outside the " gate- 
way" is called, from its shape, Elephant's Head. A lit- 
tle down the Notch on the east side are two beautiful 
falls, Flume and Silver Cascades. 

MOUNT WILLARD, 

Which stands just at the head of the Notch, is famous 
for the beautiful view it affords of this wild and pictur- 
esque mountain gorge, a landscape not surpassed by any 



WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE. 197 

in the mountains. The late afternoon is the best time 
to see the view. A good road two miles long extends to 
the summit. Hitchcock's Flume, a singular rock forma- 
tion, is near the top of the mountain. On the precipi- 
tous face of the mountain, nearly a thousand feet above 
the Notch, is seen the entrance to a cavern known as 
the Devil's Den. 

THE WILLEY HOUSE, 

The scene of the terrible disaster of over fifty years ago, 
is in the Notch, three miles below the Crawford House. 
The house was occupied in 18:2(5 by James* Willey jr. an«I 
his family. A fearful storm raged in the Notch on the 
night of August 28, 1826, and the entire family, fleeing 
from the house to a place of supposed safety, were buried 
in an avalanche of earth and rocks, precipitated from 
the side of Mount Willey. A huge rock 30 feet high, 
directly behind the house, parted the slide and saved 
the building. 

THE GLEN. 

The Glen House, in Pinkham Notch, at the eastern 
base of Mount Washington, is fifteen miles north of 
Glen station, near North Conway, eight miles south of 
Gorham on the Grand Trunk railway, and has a full and 
unobstructed view of the highest peaks of the Mount 
Washington rano-e. Mount Washington is ascended 
from the Glen by the carriage road, eight miles long. 
Glen Ellis Fall and Crystal Cascade, near the Glen, are 
two of the finest waterfalls in the mountain. Tucker- 
man's Ravine is most easily reached from the Glen 
House. 



198 MOUNT WASHINGTON. 



FABYAN HOUSE. 



The Fabyan House station is the great railroad center 
of the White Mountains. It is situated in the Araa- 
noosuc valley, 6 miles from the base of Mount Washing- 
ton, 9 miles from the summit. All express trains to and 
from the White Mountains arrive and depart from the 
Fabyan House. The distances east are : Mount Pleasant 
House one half mile, Crawford House at entrance to 
White Mountain Notch 4 miles, Upper Bartlett 19, Glen 
station 25, North Conway 31, Portland 91. On the 
west, White Mountain House 1 mile, Twin Mountain 
House 5 miles, Bethlehem Junction 10, Bethlehem vil- 
lage 13, Profile House 20, Flume 26, Littleton 20. 

JACKSON. 

On the east side of Mount Washington, and within 
three miles of Glen Station is the village of Jackson. It 
is a favorite resort of artists. Goodrich and Jackson 
Falls are near the village, and are both fine waterfalls. 

NORTH CONWAY. 

In the Saco valley, 31 miles from Fabyan's, and 60 
from Portland is the pleasant village, with beautiful sur- 
roundings, of North Conway. It has accommodations 
for 1,500 visitors. The valley is inclosed between Kear- 
saro-e and Moat mountains, and a most attractive land- 
scape is formed by the intervals and the mountain 
peaks, Avith Washington in the background. For beau- 
ty of scenery there is none finer in the White Mount- 
ains. The largest hotel is the Kearsarge House, and 
among the others are the Sunset Pavilion, Randall, 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 100 

North Conway, Eastman, McMillan, Artists Falls and 
Moat Mountain Houses. Two miles north of North 
Conway is Intervale Station. There are several hotels, 
the largest being the Intervale House, near which are 
the Bellevue, Pendexter Mansion, and others. Bartlett 
and Lower Bartlett are a few miles above North Con- 
way, on the Saco river. 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 

Little is known regarding the White Mountains be- 
fore the year 1642, when Darby Field of Portsmouth 
made the first ascent of Mount Washington. Indian 
tribes then lived near the mountains, but few of their 
traditions have been preserved. Their name for the 
mountains was Waumbek Methna and for Mount Wash- 
ington, Agiochook. John Josselyn, in his book "New 
England Rarities Discovered," published in 1672, gave 
the first description of the mountains. 

The White Mountain Notch was discovered by two 
hunters, Nash and Sawyer, in 1771. 

The first settlements among the mountains were made 
in the latter half of the la*t century, Conway being set- 
tled in 1764, Franconia in 1774, Bartlett in 1777, Jack- 
son in 1778 and Bethlehem in 1790. 

Capt. Eleazer Rosebrook made the first settlement at 
the site of the Fabyan House in 179*2. He opened there 
in 1803 the first house for summer visitors ever kept in 
the mountains. His son-in-law, Abel Crawford, long 
known as the " Patriarch of the Mountains," settled at 
what is now Bemis station in 1793. The hitter's son, 



200 MOUNT WASHINGTON. 

Ethan Allen Crawford, the most famous of the mountain 
pioneers, took Rosebrook's house in 1817. In 1819 he 
opened the first foot-path up Mt. Washington. His 
brother, Thomas J. Crawford, opened the first bridle- 
path to the summit in 1840, and his father, then seventy- 
five years old, rode the first horse that climbed the 
mountain. 

The first hotel on Mount Washington was the old 
Summit House, built in 1852, the Tip-top House was 
built in 1853, and the present Summit House in 1872. 

The first winter ascent of Mount Washington was 
made by the sheriff of Coos county and B. F. Osgood 
of Gorham, December 7th, 1858. John H. Spaulding, 
Franklin White and C. C. Brooks of Lancaster made 
the ascent February 19, 18G2, and were the first to 
spend the night on the mountain in winter. 

The carriage road from the Glen House to the summit 
of Mount Washington was begun in 1855, under the 
management of D. O. Macomber, C. H. V. Cavis being 
surveyor. The first four miles were finished the next 
year. Financial troubles stopped the work for a time, 
but the road was finally opened August 8, 1861. 

George W. Lane, now in charge of the Fabyan House 
stables, drove the first Concord coach that ever ascended 
Mount Washington, August 8, 1861, on the opening of 
the carriage road. It contained ,1. M. Thompson, then 
proprietor of the Glen House, and his family, including 
George F. Thompson, the present manager of the Went- 
worth at New Castle. 

The Mount Washington railway was projected by 
Sylvester Marsh. The building of the road was begun 
in 1866 and finished in 1869. . 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 201 

The signal station at the Summit was established 
in 1870. Prof. J. H. Huntington of the state geologi- 
cal survey was at the head of the party that spent the 
first winter, having with him Sergeant Theodore Smith 
of the signal service and S. A. Nelson of Georgetown, 
Mass. The building now occupied by the observers 
was erected in 1873. 

The first number of "Among the Clouds," which 
was the first newspaper published in the White Mount- 
ains, and the only one printed on any mountain in the 
world, was issued July 18, 1877, by Henry M. Burt of 
Springfield, Massachusetts. 



MOUNTAIN TRAGEDIES. 

The destruction of the Willey family by a land slide 
in the White Mountain Notch, occurred August 28, 1826. 

Frederick Strickland, an Englishman, perished in the 
Amanoosuc Ravine in October, 1851. 

Miss Lizzie Bourne of Kennebunk, Maine, perished on 
the Glen bridle-path, near the summit, on the night of 
September 14, 1855. 

Dr. B. L. Ball of Boston was lost on Mount Washing- 
ton in October, 1855, in a snow storm, but was rescued 
after two days' and nights' exposure, without food or 
sleep. 

Benjamin Chandler of Delaware perished near Chand- 
ler's Peak, half a mile from the top of Mount Washing- 
ton, August 7, 185G, in a storm, and his remain- were 
not discovered for nearly a year. 

Harry W. Hunter of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, per- 
9* 



202 MOUNT WASHINGTON. 

ished on the Crawford bridle-path September 3, 1874, a 
mile from the summit. His remains were found nearly 
six years later, July 14, 1880. 



DISTANT POINTS VISIBLE FROM MOUNT 
WASHINGTON. 

Below is given a list of the prominent distant points 
seen from Mount Washington, prepared from W. H. 
Pickering's articles on the subject, in Appalachia. The 
distance of each point is given, also its direction. If 
the points are identified by a compass, allowance must 
be made for the variation of the needle, which amounts 
to 13 degrees west. Thus, if a mountain's position is 
east of north or west, of south, add 13 degrees to the 
given direction ; if west of north or east of south, sub- 
tract 13 degrees. 

Mount Megantic, 86 miles, north 1 deg. west, one- 
third the way from Jefferson to Adams ; height, 3000 
feet. Situated in Canada, in a comparatively level re- 
gion. 

Mount Carmel, sixty-five miles, north 12 deg. east, just 
over Adams. Near the northern boundary of Maine, 
and recognized by the steep slope on the eastern side. 

Saddle-back, 60 miles, north 40 deg. east. Height 3,- 
700 feet. A saddle-shaped mountain, at the head of 
Rangeley Lakes. 

Mount Bigelow, 82 miles, north 43 deg. east. It ap- 
pears as three rounded hills. 

Mount Abraham, 68 miles, north 47 deg. east. Height, 
3400 feet. A long, serrated ridge. Katahdin, long sup- 



DISTANT POINTS VISIBLE. 203 

posed to be visible, is hidden behind this mountain, and 
2000 feet would have to be added to its height to brine 
it into view. Should a distant mountain be seen in 
that direction, it would probably be one of the lower 
ones about the southern end of Moosehead Lake. 

Ebene Mountain, 135 miles, north 50 deg. east. Seen 
rising over a valley in the Russell Mountains, 103 miles 
distant, which are themselves seen through a depression 
in the nearer horizon. This is the most distant point 
yet identified from Mount Washington, and is brought 
into view solely by atmospheric refraction. 

Mount Blue, 57 miles, north 56 deg. east. Height, 
2700 feet. A conspicuous pyramid peak, near Farming- 
ton, Maine. 

Sebago Lake, 43 miles, south 51 deg. east, and over 
the northern summit of Doublehead. It is fourteen 
miles long by eleven broad. 

The city of Portland, 67 miles, south 51 deg. east, 
and situated just over the right-hand end of the broad- 
est portion of Lake Sebago. The ocean cannot be seen 
as often as are some more distant objects in other direc- 
tions, partly on account of the difficulty of distinguishing 
distant water, and partly because the atmosphere in this 
direction is generally somewhat thicker than elsewhere. 

Mount Agamenticus, 79 miles, south 23 deg. east, 
rather more than two-thirds of the way from Kearsarge 
(north), to Moat, and just over White Horse Ledge. 
It has the appearance of a fiat-rounded hill, slightly pro- 
jecting above the horizon. 

The Isles of Shoals, 96 miles, south 21 deg. east, ap- 
pear on the horizon just to the right of Agamenticus. 
They are rarely seen from Mount Washington. 



204 MOUNT WASHINGTON. 

The Uncanoonucs, 90 miles, south 10 deg. east, just 
over the left shoulder of Passaconaway. 

Joe English Hill, 93 miles, south 10 deg. west, lying 
half way between Passaconaway and Whiteface. 

Mount Monadnock, 104 miles, south 23 deg. west, and 
one-fourth of the way from Black Mountain to Carri- 
gain Mountain, and appears as a very regular rounded 
summit. 

Mount Kearsarge (south), 27 miles, south 24 deg 
west, and nearly half way between Black and Carrigain 
Mountains, somewhat resembles Monadnock in shape. 

Nelson Pinnacle, 97 miles distant is seen over the 
right shoulder of Kearsarge. 

Mount Ascutney, 81 miles, south 45 deg. west, is visi" 
ble nearly over Mount Carr. 

The Killington Peaks, 88 miles, south 59 deg. west, 
are twin peaks near Rutland, Vermont, and are seen on 
the horizon between Moosilauke and Lincoln. The 
southern one is called Killington, and the northern, Pico. 

Camel's Hump, 78 miles, north 87 deg. west, appears 
slightly to the left of Fabyan's. It is one of the high- 
est of the Green Mountains, and is shaped like a trun- 
cated cone, with very steep sides. It is plainly visible at 
sunset on a clear day. 

Mount Whiteface, 130 miles, north 86 deg. west, rises 
over the right hand slope of Camel's Hump. It is 4900 
feet high, one of the highest of the Adirondacks. 

Mount Mansfield, 77 miles, north 76 deg. west, be- 
tween the Twin Mountain House and Mount Deception. 
It is the highest of the Green Mountains, and bears a 
fancied resemblance to the human face. 




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205 




GLEN ELLIS FALLS 
Near G!cn House. 



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